


through the ages

by jisungbabe



Category: Produce 101 (TV), Wanna One (Band)
Genre: (at the end though i promise), Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Alternate Universe - Eighties, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, Blow Jobs, Explicit Sexual Content, M/M, Mentions of Violence, Multiple Lives, Royalty AU, Serial Killers, Slow Burn, baker and the prince, daehwi is my favorite character, like you have to squint kind of??, slight seonho/guanlin, slight youngmin/donghyun, theres gonna be a lot to this, will add tags as i go to not spoil the rest of the story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-04
Updated: 2018-04-17
Packaged: 2019-01-08 20:38:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 51,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12261654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jisungbabe/pseuds/jisungbabe
Summary: woojin and jihoon are intertwined. so much so that time doesn’t even keep them apart. best of friends, almost lovers, but what doesn’t get them together now, will eventually get them together later, right?(i.e. woojin falls in love within one lifetime, so jihoon keeps that love going throughout many)





	1. The Prince’s Baker

When Woojin first met Jihoon it was under the night sky at the back of the palace. They had known of each other and Jihoon's royalty scared Woojin to the core but at least with Jihoon staring honestly at Woojin at that moment, he considered he wasn't that scared after all.

Woojin was the baker's son, and according to his father, it was time for Woojin to learn the business so one day he could take his place. Woojin obliged, finding a love in baking just as his father did. He was only twelve when he moved in to the castle. His father lived there away from the family to make sure the rest of them lived in comfort. The royal family paid well and kept the rest of Woojin's family happy and healthy. His father would visit on the weekends with plenty of food and money for them to last the week. 

When Woojin moved in, he expected his father to tell him some big secret of how he had to scrounge for all of that, but honestly the Park family truly did care for their staff. He was blessed with his own room and his own clothes for the kitchen. He met the royal family quickly and began work to learn from his father.

The only free time in his days were a couple of hours before bed time after the kitchen clean up was done and all was put away. The back garden was beautiful under the moonlight so Woojin spent his time there, counting down the days until the weekend where he could go home and see his friends. 

The first weekend he left his best friend Daehwi bombarded him with questions.

"What is the prince like?" Daehwi asked. 

"I barely met him," Woojin swatted his friend away as he leaned over to grab some bread from Woojin's basket.

"Is he just as handsome as everybody says he is?" the other pestered again.

"Daehwi can you stop?" Woojin sighed, his annoyance growing.

"Just curious," he held up both his hands and groaned, "I've never been inside of the castle."

"It's beautiful," Woojin let out a long breath and turned to look up at the looming building over the quaint village below, "They really do appreciate their art there. Every room is decorated in some sort of artwork. Every night there's a performance or a play put on to entertain the royals."

"I've always wanted to be an entertainer," Daehwi pouted. Woojin understood the younger's frustration. Becoming a palace entertainer was difficult and strenuous. There were multiple auditions and so many in the village vying for a spot when it opened up. The newest edition happened to be friends with Woojin and Daewhi. "How is Eunki doing?"

"He fits in well. He dances beautifully with another performer named Jungjung," Woojin took a bite of bread as they continued to walk down to meet some of their other friends, "They definitely fit well together."

"When I turn 18, I'm definitely trying for that spot," Daehwi's eyes sparkled with thought and Woojin smirked. There was no denying Daehwi definitely had a shot.

The rest of his weekends were plagued with questions from Daehwi and his other friends teasing him for becoming a baker. Woojin, the manly one of his few friends, was now on his way to becoming a baker. In their eyes, it was insane. 

But for Woojin, it was the work he loved. His father rejoiced when Woojin told him he was content on following his footsteps. His son would have the same position one day and provide safely just like he did for his own family. All staff were exempt from going into war if it could be prevented and since Woojin only had sisters, his father could sleep easily knowing his family wouldn't be lost to war. 

Woojin wouldn't have minded either way. Fighting was something he practiced with his friends by the creek anyways. He always thought he would have to enlist one day anyways so he was always prepared. In some ways, he missed fighting with sticks and scraped knees. 

His nights were always silent though. For Woojin, that was paradise. The kitchen was loud, his friends were loud, and the bustle of the castle was always loud. The garden? That was silent. 

On this particular night in the garden, Woojin looked forward to exploring the maze a bit more. He had worked out a small map in his brain of where to go and the paths around him. As soon as all of his kitchen duties were done, he made his way to the garden, eyes glistening with the thought of exploration. The moon hung heavy in the sky, giving Woojin the perfect amount of light necessary to continue on his own journey.

Just as he rounded the third turn, he realized somebody was right in front of him. Prince Jihoon turned just as Woojin did and they mad eye contact. Woojin bowed, turning to leave the Prince alone. His peaceful night alone was now plagued by another.

"Wait," he heard behind him. It was the first time Woojin ever heard Jihoon speak. He turned, worry in his eyes he offended the Prince. "What are you doing out so late?"

"Exploring," Woojin answered honestly. Jihoon smiled at that. Woojin let out a breath of relief before tempting his own question. "And what about you, Your Majesty?"

"Wandering about," Prince Jihoon nodded. Woojin noticed how the Prince was in just the bare minimum of royal attire. His crown, robe, and most of his more expensive outfit was stripped down to the bare minimum. He wore a silk shirt and stockings, and his eyes shined in freedom.

"Do you do that often?" Woojin asked, curiosity taking over his brain.

"Probably not as much as you do," Jihoon laughed, "How well do you know this maze?"

"I've almost solved it," Woojin stepped closer. Jihoon turned to let Woojin go around him, letting him lead. The two moved slowly through the maze. 

"Your name is Park Woojin, correct?" the Prince hummed after a few minutes of silence. 

"Yes," Woojin stopped to think about the next part of the maze, "I'm the baker's son."

"So you are," Jihoon mulled over the thought for a moment, "Do you enjoy baking?"

"I do," Woojin answered automatically. 

"How old are you Woojin?" the Prince asked softly.

"The same age as you. Twelve years old," Woojin led them swiftly through the maze, his brain turning the cogs to remember each and every turn that was necessary. He wasn't lying when he said he had almost solved it. Jihoon kept his pace with him and soon they were talking about everything under the moonlight.

"So do you go between studying and practicing fighting?" Woojin asked.

"For the most part. I enjoy studying more than fighting though," Jihoon looked up at the night sky. "My father wants me to be a smart king, not a violent one."

"He's a good king on his own," Woojin nodded, "I've always admired his way of speech."

"You're right. He's a tough act to follow," Jihoon nodded, "My mother feels the same way. She's always pressuring me to be more like him."

"Are you like him?" Woojin led them on another turn, this time, the bushes becoming thicker, narrowing their pathway.

Jihoon paused in their conversation for a moment, letting the thick air of the summer night roll between them, "I like to think I am."

 

At the end of the maze, Woojin was surprised he got only one turn wrong. Most nights he had at least five or six near the end but with Jihoon by his side, he was able to think clearly.

"We should do this again Woojin-ah," Jihoon smiled, "It was nice walking with somebody else."

"I agree with you," Woojin nodded. The moon began to meet over the middle of the sky and Woojin bowed instantly, "I have to return to my quarters Your Majesty."

Jihoon stifled a laugh at the words Your Majesty and gave a small bow back, "Shall we do this tomorrow night as well?"

Woojin nodded, already retreating to head back. He entered the servants entrance of the castle, giving a small glance back at the Prince in the soft moonlight of the garden.

That's how their friendship began. When the king got wind of it, he merely laughed at the innocence of the two young boys getting to know each other. He was a kind king, with a smile as wide as the ocean and as bright as the sun. There were a lot characteristics within Jihoon that Woojin saw in the king as well. Both had a warmth to each other and both were always joking about. At royal dinners every night, the king would always be telling a lively story while Jihoon reacted just as lively. The stars in both of their eyes were bright as Woojin stood off to the side waiting to bring forth any breads or sweets the royal family desired.

Jihoon was just as lively during their walks. His eyes would match the stars in the skies and Woojin could only wish to match them one day. His voice would absorb into the bushes and every time they got into the smaller portion of the maze, they would huddle closer and his voice would bounce between each leaf of the hedges.

It was a different kind of loud that Woojin appreciated. It was what Woojin needed in his line of work to keep him happy and energized.

The king took time to get to know each of his staff which resulted in the friendship between him and Woojin's father. The two even shared a late night drink here and there. It warmed Woojin's heart to see the king so close with his staff. It also eased his worries about how close Jihoon and himself were getting. Other than Daehwi, he considered Jihoon to be his closest friend. 

One night, Jihoon suggested a race through the maze, "I wanna test your endurance Woojin-ah."

"I haven't really ran in awhile," he scratched the back of his neck. "I don't feel like it'll be fair."

"Try it," Jihoon laughed.

"Alright Your Majesty," Woojin threw his hands up in surrender.

"Why do you still call me that?" Jihoon's smile faltered a little bit, "Call me Jihoon."

"Jihoon?" Woojin raised an eyebrow, "I feel like I'm committing treason just saying that."

"Stop thinking of me as just a prince. I'm your friend too," Jihoon rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, "Your father doesn't call mine Your Majesty nor does he call him King anymore."

"He doesn't?" Woojin looked at Jihoon with shock.

"No. They're friends just as you and I are. We don't see ourselves as separate entities as the villagers. If we did, how inhumane would that be? We're born just as you or the next person are. Our blood still runs as yours does," Jihoon's eyes were sparkling again. 

Woojin looked from Jihoon's eyes to the stars and concluded that they were truly identical.

Woojin won the race.

 

"Are you hungry?" Woojin asked as they caught their breath. Jihoon nodded breathlessly. "I can cook us something to eat if you want. I'm starving."

"Yeah," Jihoon nodded, "Alright."

Woojin led Jihoon to the kitchen, the two of them silent as they walked around them now deserted castle. As Jihoon sat on the counter top, small legs swinging, Woojin climbed on stools to reach the top shelf of different cabinets. 

"Do you have other friends?" Jihoon asked softly.

"Just a few," Woojin nodded, "My best friend is Daehwi. He's the son of the tailor in town. I also know Eunki, one of the performers here in the castle. There's also Jinyoung and Seonho. They live just outside of the village on the farms. Do you?"

Jihoon nodded slowly, "I only know you and the staff. My father keeps a close eye on me since I'm his only son."

"Maybe one day you can meet my friends too. I'm sure you'd love them," Woojin smiled as he began to make them a late night snack. Jihoon watched, asking him questions as they went along, pointing at them with his small fingers. Woojin felt happy in that moment as he realized Jihoon had really called him his only friend.

 

Six years brought many things between the two. It brought a close friendship and late nights in the mazes. It brought Woojin the inside look of the royal family and it brought Jihoon the outward world.

It also brought death.

Woojin's father to be exact. When Woojin turned eighteen, his father began to get sick, his sunken eyes going deeper. How could Woojin survive without his father in the big castle?

It was determined that his father would live out the last of his days back at home with their family. Woojin would take over but he was allowed to head home at night to visit his father.

This also meant Jihoon saw less of Woojin. The Prince understood perfectly but it didn't stop his disappointment from rearing its ugly head when he showed up at the garden the first night of Woojin's new schedule. 

When Woojin's father finally passed, the King gave him a respectable funeral, announcing it one early morning to the villagers. The King's Baker has passed and there was a new one. Woojin would take his place as planned.

When Woojin returned to the castle, he was quieter. Jihoon didn't blame him at all. Losing a father was already hard enough but having to continue his work in his memory was a huge stress.

One night on one of their walks, Jihoon stopped in his place, "Woojin-ah, do you want to do this? Be the palace baker?"

Without hesitation Woojin replied, "Of course."

"Are you sure?"Jihoon asked.

Woojin looked over Jihoon's face and turned towards the moon, as if it was his father giving him strength. He breathed in, adoring the way the moon lit up the sky, "Definitely."

 

"I think he likes you," Daehwi stepped over the bank of the creek and into the water. His pants were rolled up and his eyes mapped out his route for his next several steps.

Woojin watched from the bank of the creek with a frown, "Who?"

"Prince Jihoon," Daehwi smiled, his eyes glancing over the small waterfall in front of him. "The way you talk about him; he seems to really care for you."

"I mean, he cares like a friend. That's how his father and mine would talk," Woojin sighed, "Nothing more than that Daehwi."

"You're forgetting our Prince has refused to marry off to another Royal," Daehwi pouted as he turned on a dry rock to face Woojin again.

"That doesn't mean-" Woojin groaned. He felt like Daehwi was reading too far into things.

"You have to understand," Daehwi interrupted, "That's not common."

"Says who?" Woojin scoffed, "You've only  
known one prince your entire seventeen years!"

"My grandmother. She told me that the prince of her day married at sixteen and that the king now was married at eighteen. It's expected of them. She told me that Prince Jihoon refusing to be married now is just disrespectful to other kingdoms who want an alliance with ours," Daehwi ranted on. 

Woojin couldn't think about Jihoon getting married now. This was the same person who still made inappropriate jokes with Woojin like they did when they first met. He was the same person who made Woojin play hide and seek in the maze after they both memorized the route.

"What do you think would happen if he did get married?" Daehwi broke Woojin of his thoughts, "What would you do?"

"Bake their wedding cake," Woojin answered flatly. "What else?"

Daehwi groaned and skipped over to the next rock, tipping slightly so that he had to regain his balance, "I mean what would happen to your friendship? Would you two still go on your walks?"

"Why wouldn't we?" Woojin grumbled. Jihoon wouldn't stop being Woojin's friend... would he?

"He would have a wife or husband to deal with," Daehwi reasoned, "Marriage takes a lot of work."

"Jihoon isn't that type. Besides, if the king and my father worked it out, why can't we?" Woojin stood up from the side of the creek and stretched his back. "Is Seonho coming? I have to head back to the castle later tonight."

"He said he'd be here. Something about big news," Daehwi shrugged. 

As of on cue, the lanky taller male came running over the hill leading down to the creek, his chest rising and falling with deep breaths. He skid to a stop next to Woojin, his signature smile growing across his face, "Woojin! I'm so happy to see you."

"You saw me this morning Seonho," Woojin deadpanned. "Daehwi said you have news. Spit it out."

"Always in rush this one," Seonho laughed and looked to Daehwi who was making his way back to the creek. His white shirt sleeves were rolled up, his bony arms sticking out. Daehwi looked thinner than usual-something Woojin hadn't noticed earlier.

"What is it?" Woojin groaned as Seonho paused after he finished laughing.

"The news is mainly for Daehwi, but you'll be interested as well," the younger turned towards the both of them. They stood waiting for him to speak, the bubbling creek being their only sound, "Guess what is happening just a week after Daehwi's eighteenth birthday?"

Daehwi's eyes grew wide, "No way."

"Yes! Auditions for the palace entertainers are being held!" Seonho smiled proudly. 

"But," Daehwi moved from excitement to panic, "That's only three weeks away! I can't plan something up till then."

"Go now," Woojin grinned, his laugh bubbling over much like the creek. Daehwi rushed off, his feet carrying him to his own house. 

Seonho glanced back at Woojin, "He does know that you could just tell Jihoon to let him in, right?"

"He wouldn't feel like he earned it though. If Jihoon considers somebody else other than him, I'll mention something but Daehwi would rather work for it," Woojin smirked.

"You talk as if you're equals," Seonho and him started walking back after Daehwi.

"He treats me that way," Woojin nodded, "It's nice. Refreshing almost. He's asked my opinion on a lot of things."

"Ah, I knew it," Seonho grinned, "You two are better friends than me and you will ever be."

"Maybe if you weren't so disrespectful," Woojin playfully shoved Seonho, laughing as he straightened out immediately and glared down the older.

 

True to his word, Woojin asked about the auditions when they came around. Jihoon muttered something about how his word wasn't final and it would ultimately be the king's choice. "Did you see somebody you liked particularly though?" 

"I did," Woojin nodded, "Daehwi."

"I'm assuming he's the same Daehwi you're friends with?" Jihoon smirked.

"The very same," Woojin laughed, "I know he's a little... eccentric, but it has been his dream for years."

"No I understand," Jihoon laughed, his skin glistening in the moonlight. He had grown out of his baby face and his chubby cheeks thinned out to where Woojin could see every expression perfectly. "Father liked him quite a bit actually. He was definitely in his top five."

"But not his top choice," Woojin sighed, "Maybe if I bake those small cakes your father likes it would help convince him."

Jihoon laughed, "I'll talk to him."

"But Daehwi can't know," Woojin looked over at Jihoon quickly. A chuckle bubbled out of Jihoon's lips and he glanced over at Woojin in the light.

"He won't. I promise," Jihoon nodded. 

 

"Oh Woojin!" Daehwi danced into the kitchen, a light tone in his voice, "Do you have any scraps for me today?"

Woojin leaned his head against the table and ignored his best friend's pleas. The younger poked at him until he looked up, murderous eyes meeting the hand prodding him.

Daehwi grumbled as Woojin sat up fully from his spot at the kitchen island, "If it was Jihoon you'd give some to him."

"That's because he's a prince and you're not," Woojin moved to pick up a broom next to the ice box. Daehwi watched with scrutiny as he leaned against the island. "If you're going to bother me in here, can you at least help me clean up?"

Daehwi rolled his eyes and began to wipe down the island with a rag nearby. The two talked of their day while cleaning and Woojin felt his long day simmer away as everything fell back into order in the kitchen. He looked around, double checking everything was done just as his father taught him. Once all was set in place and prepared for the next morning, the older ushered Daehwi out, shoving a small plate of tiny cupcakes that wouldn't fit the King's standards.

("More like your standards," Jihoon muttered as Woojin had handed him some one time. "My father loves anything you make. You really do have a talent."

"Not as good as my father. He never messed up his portion sizes," Woojin had sighed, his eyes cast up at the moon.

"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. You're just as good as him," Jihoon took another bite of a small cupcake, "Did you take time to decorate these?"

Woojin nodded, a small blush creeping up his neck, "I knew I'd be giving them to you so I wanted them to look presentable."

Jihoon's smile doubled in size and he took another huge bite. Icing caught on the tip of his nose but he didn't notice, his attention solely on finishing the next cupcake.

"Oh, um, Jihoon," Woojin stopped walking and turned towards the prince. He looked back at Woojin with expectant eyes, "You, um, have icing on your nose."

"Oh?" Jihoon went to wipe it away but instead smeared it further across his face. 

"Ah," Woojin stifled a laugh, "It's still there."

Jihoon tried again but he ended up just moving a lot of it around his face, ending with a bunch of icing smeared everywhere. Woojin was full on laughing at this point and Jihoon pouted, his eyes filling with more stars. 

"Can you get it?" Jihoon asked, his voice drawing out each word. Woojin nodded and stepped closer, wiping the icing away from his nose first with his sleeve. He moved down to his cheek, making sure to get every inch of it. Finally he moved to get the icing by Jihoon's lips; he tried not to stare at them for too long. 

"Is it all gone?" Jihoon asked and Woojin noticed he failed. He had been staring and Jihoon was blinking at him innocently. When Woojin nodded, he stepped back and coughed awkwardly. There was no stopping his blush this time as they kept walking.)

Daehwi lit up, his eyes looking down at the tiny, uneven cupcakes. He bit into one and smiled immensely, "You could've at least put icing on it."

 

Jihoon’s eyes were sparkling the next time they saw each other. The next night was the Annual Starry Night Festival which meant that Woojin was busy with preparations and baking. The head chef Sungwoon and him had a lot of collaborating to do before they could even start the main event of cooking for the next day but it did mean that Woojin saw Jihoon less and less. At this point, Jihoon kind of just roamed the garden freely hoping for Woojin to show up but when he didn’t, he ended up heading back up to his quarters waiting for sleep to take over instead. 

Thankfully Woojin was able to step away for the night, his weary body carrying him across the bridge in between the castle and the maze. When the two were in the maze not even Jihoon’s guards followed them. At this point they knew not to. So when he saw Seongwoo lingering near the entrance he knew Jihoon was already inside the maze.

“Woojin!” the older smiled at him, “Jihoon will be happy to see you.”

“And I for him,” Woojin grinned, “It’s nice to get a break for right now.”

“I was positive you wouldn’t be out here until after the festival,” Seongwoo nodded, his eyes glancing at the sky.

“I’m happy Sungwoon told me to go get some rest. But this is my idea of rest, I guess,” Woojin laughed. “I’ll see you later!”

The guard waved him goodbye, a soft smile adorning his featured face. Once Woojin met up with Jihoon, he was almost out of breath, “Think I wouldn’t make it?”

“Woojin-ah!” Jihoon’s smile dragged across his face and his eyes deepened with the stars of the night. “I knew you were busy so I figured I wouldn’t be able to see you until tomorrow.”

“I got away for the night,” Woojin have Jihoon a large grin and his snagggle tooth peaked out, something Jihoon always glanced at whenever he had a chance. “So I heard Princess Hyori will be here tomorrow for the festival. Rumor is she’s here to woo you.”

Jihoon threw his head black in laughter, a clear sound that rang threw the air. Woojin deemed it beautiful. “I don’t think that’ll happen.”

“Oh?” Woojin chuckled, “Why is that?”

“I’m not interested in Princesses or marriage quite yet,” Jihoon scrunched his nose up at the thought. 

“If you were, do you think the Princess would be your type?” Woojin kicked at the ground in front of them. Jihoon went silent, his face contemplating how best to answer. “I mean, if you have one.”

“I don’t know,” Jihoon answered finally, “I want to believe I know my type but I’m too young to really know.”

Woojin scoffed at that, “My parents married at our age.”

“But that’s your parents. Your father was so in love with your mother. It’s not really the same with me,” Jihoon looked as if he was thinking through each word carefully, “If I were to be in love with somebody, I would have to have it be approved by my father first. Then the royal board would have to approve it as well. But they’ll probably agree with my father. After that, I have to actually date the person and convince them that marrying a prince would be a good idea.”

“Who wouldn’t want to marry you?” Woojin laughed. “Especially if it’s better for their kingdom.”

“It depends if I want to marry a royal or not. I don’t have to you know.” Jihoon looked like he just bit into something bitter. “You’d be surprised at how oblivious some people are Woojin.”

They were nearing the end of the maze and they could both see Seongwoo waiting at the end of it. Woojin couldn’t tell where he went wrong but Jihoon looked angry. They finished the maze in silence and as they neared the bridge to head back into the castle. Seongwoo trailed behind slowly, casting a look between the two in strained concern. 

“Look Jihoon-“ Woojin started but the prince put up a hand to silence him.

“Don’t worry about it. I just don’t like the thought of marriage right now,” Jihoon gave Woojin a softening gaze, “I’ll see you tomorrow at the festival Woojin.”

With that Jihoon bid him goodnight and the younger was left on the bridge in a wave of confusion. He made his way back into the castle through his own entrance before laying in his quarters, waiting for sleep to take over him.

What had Jihoon meant by some people were oblivious? Had he meant Woojin? Was there something he was missing between him and Jihoon?

It wasn’t like Jihoon wasn’t attractive. He was a prince after all. When Woojin was around him, he was content. Happy almost. Happy as he could be with the dull ache of his fathers death still looming around. Jihoon made him momentarily forget the bad moments of his day. He made him feel like a kid again even if he had been forced to grow up.

Jihoon’s laugh and Jihoon’s smile made Woojin feel whole again. His presence calmed Woojin. This was be the only thing ringing in Woojin’s head as he fell asleep, heart racing with every thought of the Prince. 

When he woke up early in the morning, Woojin figured out why he felt that way. He was so infatuated with Jihoon it was unhealthy. He groaned, his new found feelings being overbearing as he started his day. Sungwoon met him with a bright smile in the kitchen as the two started their own preparations. He ignored mostly everybody else, including Daehwi who had butted his head in shortly after the sun rose to look for any early morning mistakes to eat off of. Sungwoon thankfully shooed him away. The two of the them continued to work in silence with the help of the kitchen staff as they tried to prepare for the days menus without fail. 

As soon as Woojin was done with the morning sweets, his assistant-Guanlin-and him headed out towards the front hall to set them up for the guests to eat upon the entry of the castle. As soon as he set foot in the open area, Jihoon was next to him, greeting him with a normal smile and his name. This time Woojin turned to a deep red, his skin burning hot at just the sight of the prince. Had he always been this pretty? Or did this happen overnight? Woojin couldn’t tell as he trailed his eyes over the Prince in his full outfit. 

“Prince Jihoon,” Woojin bowed his head slowly, eyes nearly bulging out of his sockets.

“You look like we’ve never seen each other before,” Jihoon reaches for a scone off of the platter Woojin was holding.

“Hey,” Woojin scrunched his eyebrows, “Those are for the guests.”

“My guests,” Jihoon smirked and Woojin’s heart flipped at least twice, “Can we talk for a minute?”

“Sure,” Woojin nodded. He turned towards Guanlin, giving him a look to finish the work. The younger understood, taking the platter from his hands. Woojin turned back to the Prince and the two of them started to head towards the throne room. As they entered, Jihoon grimaced slightly. Woojin started for a moment, his heart aching at the sight of the other looking dissatisfied at something.

“My father has been pressuring me to marry somebody lately,” Jihoon started, “Its why it’s such a touchy subject.”

“O-Oh,” Woojin nodded, his own throat clenching at the thought of Jihoon getting married. The both stood in front of the throne, their eyes avoiding each other slightly. 

“I know of somebody... that I really do love,” Jihoon started, his feet dragging him to the stairs to sit in front of Woojin. The younger stayed in place as Jihoon put his head in his hands.

“Who might that be?” Woojin could feel the onslaught of disappointment and rejection about to rain on him.

“My father approves and so does the royal board. They really only care for my happiness really in the end. But I don’t know how this person feels,” Jihoon ignored Woojin’s question.

Woojin stepped closer, his own feet guiding him as Jihoon kept talking.

“I want to tell this person how I feel, but I know the implications of being with a royal. Especially since this person isn’t one,” Jihoon frowned.

“Who is it Jihoon?” Woojin asked again and this time Jihoon looked up at him. The silence built between the prince and the baker as they stared at each other. Woojin counted each star in his eyes as he waited, memorizing and mapping them out so he would never forget them.

“It’s you, Woojin,” Jihoon finally breathed out. “It’s always been you.”

Before Woojin could respond, before you could smile and give into the Prince, a loud knock erupted throughout the throne room. Guards rushed in, each of them surrounding Jihoon excluding Seongwoo who in turn pulled Woojin away.

“What’s going on?” Woojin asked. 

Seongwoo grimaced, “The palace is being invaded. Get to the kitchen now. We’ll be by shortly to escort the staff out.”

Woojin looked over at Jihoon who was suddenly in deep conversation with one of the guards without even a look at Woojin. He felt his heart singe with pain as Seongwoo pushed him to the door. “Can you tell him something for me?”

Seongwoo looked towards the ground, “Anything Woojin.”

“Tell him...” Woojin felt his heart break suddenly. This isn’t how today was supposed to go, “Tell him I feel the same way.”

Seongwoo’s eyes sparkled in familiarity and Woojin knew in that moment he was truly the oblivious one. There was nobody else who didn’t see it but him. Woojin was Jihoon’s now and there was no denying it. 

 

But it didn’t work out that way.

Just as Woojin left for the kitchen, he would see just who was attacking them through one of the giant windows in the front of the palace. He stopped, unable to tear his eyes away from the giant force coming towards them. Jihoon was too noticeable in front, leading the way on his horse as they charged towards the opposing army. 

“No,” Woojin muttered under his breath. He couldn’t hear anybody else screaming his name around him. He couldn’t register Daehwi pulling at his arm until he saw the first person attack Jihoon, knocking him off his horse. The fight felt like hours for Woojin as he watched multiple others fight him. It was only seconds for Jihoon to be attacked and killed.

It was only seconds for Woojin to react. 

He could feel every fiber of his being reacting as he pulled away Daehwi, and ran towards the front of the castle running out the doors that were being closed. It was only moments as he ran towards the battle his feet carrying him so quickly through the edges of the garden. Their garden.

He could find Jihoon so quickly in the maze of bodies. He could see him laying on the ground near death, but choking on his own blood. 

“No,” Woojin pulled him in his own arms. “No.”

“Woojin?” Jihoon’s voice was small in the mess of bodies fighting around them. Nobody could take notice their prince was dead when their own king was still fighting near them. 

“I’m here,” Woojin pulled Jihoon closer. “I’m here.”

“Don’t leave,” Jihoon shivered. “Please.”

And in the few seconds it took for the king to realize his only son was gone, it took for him to fully die, for somebody to attack Woojin just as harshly, and for Woojin to grasp onto life while sobbing for Jihoon, the other army had began to push harder, breaking through the defenses as the king became outraged. 

Woojin barely remembered his last thoughts as he held Jihoon to him, both of them slipping out of consciousness. He could only think of their maze and how they got out together.


	2. Boarding School Boys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Do you think it’s fun to mess with me?” Jihoon felt suddenly brave against the revelation about the other.
> 
> Woojin looked shocked for a moment, “What?”
> 
> “I-I really think you like to mess with me. One moment you act like I don’t exist and the other… it’s like you’re—” Jihoon started.
> 
> Woojin leaned forward so fast Jihoon barely had time to keep up, “Like I’m flirting?”
> 
> Jihoon nodded slowly and watched Woojin’s eyes slowly dip down to his own lips and then back up, “What do you want from me?”
> 
> Woojin swallowed slowly, _“You.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright before I start this, I first want to say I know their speech and some of the things in this aren't historically accurate but I'm more writing this chapter for a lot of backstory and development. 
> 
> Also I want to say thank you to Toby for being a kick ass friend and beta'ing this for me. Anyways, I put a lot of love into this and it took me like 6 days to write this chapter and most of it has been in the last 24 hours?? maybe?? 
> 
> also i have an itunes playlist for this work that is full of music that inspired me or motivated me to work, so if you want to listen to that while you read [here it is](https://t.co/1qyzmeUGhh)
> 
> So enjoy!

Jihoon opened his eyes to a darkly lit room. His hair was matted against his forehead as the sweat clung to each strand. The temperature had risen quite a lot in the past few days and each night was a struggle to get through. The pillow underneath him was losing some feathers, each one falling out as the days dragged on. If Jihoon counted correctly, he had been stuck in this room for five days now.

 

This time, he would be in 1832, downtown London and unfortunately, sick as a dog. The last life he was this sick during was four turns ago when the black plague was sweeping across his town in Germany. This time, it was only cholera and while he was in the final days for his sickness, he knew what was coming.

 

His death day.

 

Jihoon never aged past 19 —h e never went over, but sometimes under — one time he died  while he was just 6 years old. He had lived at least 28 times that he could physically remember.

 

When Jihoon got sick, he was sure that this was what would kill him. His birthday was nearing and it took everything in him not to say goodbye to everybody he met in this lifetime. He almost did, but he couldn’t. Because none of them were Woojin.

 

Well, not yet, at least. He always met Woojin at some point during his life. It was always the same face, the same smile, the same snaggletooth. He always had the same personality, the same sense of humor that Jihoon unfailingly fell for; in every life, whether they spent days or weeks or years together. Jihoon always fell in love with Woojin, even if he tried not to.

 

It was because Woojin never seemed to remember Jihoon. Even though they both were obviously life hoppers (a term Jihoon coined them as), Woojin couldn’t retain the memory of them ever meeting before.

 

It wasn’t necessarily reincarnation. That would entail a full life and a chance at survival. For Jihoon, he had a mission to complete before he could finally go over the age of 19. He believed it had to do with Woojin. Whether it was to fall completely in love with each other, or get Woojin to achieve something, Jihoon wasn’t sure (but he preferred the first option). If Jihoon could retain it all, then maybe Woojin could too someday.

 

Jihoon tossed in his bed, trying not to throw up again and instead opted for drinking more water. The cool liquid felt soothing at the bottom of his stomach and he leaned back, thinking of some of his favorite lives with Woojin.

 

So far, none of them could compete with the life where Jihoon was a prince and Woojin was the palace baker. He called it the “Prince Life”. Jihoon was still pretty new to life hopping back then and he barely remembered anything about the few lives he lived before that. His mind was hardwired to believe he was truly born for the first time in that life time, but then the snippets of memories of his past lives would come rushing in. All of them were full of Woojin. When he finally did remember, it was too late. He remembered fully just days before the Festival. He was already head over heels in love with Woojin; this was just a different feeling. It was a connection that meant the world to Jihoon. His life and every life afterwards was meant for Woojin.

 

Jihoon finally felt like he didn’t want to throw up. His head still spun and his eyes throbbed alongside his headache; if he stood up just right, he could breathe coherently. He didn’t have a chance before he heard a loud knock on his bedroom door.

 

“Jihoon?” his mother’s voice filtered in and he smiled weakly. Every family was different for Jihoon and this time he had the sweetest mother out of all of them.

 

“Mom,” he called out, his voice hoarse from days of not talking.

 

“Oh honey,” she peeked her head in, her eyes filled with worry. Jihoon gave her a soft smile this time. He was fine, he really was, and as much as he tried to convey that to his mother with a look she still looked concerned. "How are you feeling? Really?"

 

"A lot better. Just tired. My muscles hurt," he winced as he turned softly to stand up.

 

"Probably from not walking around enough. Do you want to go for a walk?" she asked. "Your father is out for a bit so it'll just be us."

 

"That sounds good," he nodded, gripping the bedpost to help him stand up. Once he was standing, he felt stronger, as if he just needed that small push. The air around him felt less hot and sticky as well.

 

"Alright, go ahead and get dressed," his mom waved her hand in the air, her hair falling over her shoulder in a soft manner as she leaned to pick up a pillow that had fallen onto the ground. She set it back up on the bed and turned to give Jihoon a soft, small smile. He barely moved from his spot as she shot him a worried glance. There wasn’t much more that he could do before having to go to get dressed but he still felt uncomfortable if he changed with his mom in the room. She caught the hint and moved to leave, giving him one last worried glance. 

 

Jihoon had an idea where he wanted to go on the walk. He had heard murmurs that a new guy had moved into town and started working at the local library. He got dressed, albeit slowly, in his best clothes. Once dressed, he moved to his private bathroom and began to wash his face. Once the cold water hit his face, his own stomach settled and his headache softened lightly. There wasn’t much else he could do to feel any better. He stepped outside of his bedroom and his mother was already waiting by the door. She looked as if she had stepped out of a painting and Jihoon admired her even more than before.

 

If he focused on just walking, he wouldn’t feel like dying as much as he had yesterday; that was the first step forward to getting better. They both stepped outside and Jihoon started to lead her towards the library, using an excuse of wanting to read a bit before he had to go back home and lie in bed for an indefinite amount of hours once again.

 

She complied and they walked silently to the library. It wasn’t as if Jihoon didn’t know what to say to her, he just didn’t have anything that he wanted to say. His mind was usually full of the life around him settling softly into his thoughts. That’s what he liked about Woojin the most. No matter the life he was in at the moment, Woojin knew how to spur conversation with Jihoon to keep his thoughts engaged.

 

Once they reached the library, Jihoon broke off from his mother as she went on to the local apothecary to get more medicine for him. Once inside, he took a deep breath, enjoying the smell of the thousands of books around him. He enjoyed libraries, remembering the one he was able to visit a lot back in New York in 1802 in his last life. Unlike this one, it was huge, stacked from the floor to the ceiling in books. This one, though, had to be his favorite so far. It was similar to the New York one, but this one would be the most interesting. There weren’t enough shelves to hold all the books and the other countless things they offered here so most books were on the floor in large stacks. The owner of the library didn’t get enough money to actually sustain a lot of necessities but Jihoon knew his love for books superseded anything else in life that he needed. If Jihoon requested a certain book, the owner, Jonghyun, would usually find it for him within a couple of weeks.

 

Jihoon wandered the bottom floor for a bit in lookout for the new person that had started working there, but once he figured out that he was pretty much alone, he made his way to the stairs in the back corner of the library. Once he rounded the corner to take his first step, he ran straight into somebody. When he backed away, Jonghyun was standing in front of him, a laugh threatening to escape his lips.

 

“Oh, hello Jihoon,” he let it topple over as he gave him a wide smile, “I’ve heard that you haven’t been feeling too well these past couple of days.”

 

“Yeah,” Jihoon widened his own smile and looked at the stacks of books adorning the first few steps of the stairs. “I’m feeling a lot better now.”

 

“Good. Definitely can’t have our favorite regular getting too sick, right?” Jonghyun set the books in his arms down on top of one of the shorter stacks.

 

“Speaking of that,” Jihoon tried to steer the conversation more towards what he really came here for this time, “I heard you have a new staff member here.”

 

“Oh, yeah! Do you want to meet him?” Jonghyun looked a bit too excited that Jihoon thought it wasn’t normal. The extra help must’ve been really nice for him. That thought alone warmed Jihoon’s heart. Jonghyun really did overwork himself here.

 

Granted he did have Aaron, Minhyun, and Dongho, but even then it wasn’t enough to keep him going at the end of the night. The only other person Jonghyun had to rely on was Minki, but with his travels, there would be weeks where he couldn’t see him, leaving the library to be the only other part in his life that he put that much effort into.

 

“What is he like?” Jihoon asked as they made their way up the stairs. Jihoon was positive it was Woojin. He had a little less than 5 more months until he was to turn 19 and that meant death. If he didn’t meet him here, where else would he meet him?

 

“He’s a little fun. Definitely loves Minhyun. Kid kind of sticks to him,” Jonghyun smiles.

 

That… didn’t sound like Woojin at all. In fact, it sounded more like —

 

“Meet Seonho,” Jonghyun interrupted Jihoon’s thoughts.

 

Jihoon’s eyes widened. He hadn’t seen Seonho since his time as a Prince, but there in front of him was the very Seonho he had seen back then as well. He was just as tall and lanky, his dark hair framing his face. Woojin didn’t know that he knew Seonho back in that time, but the young kid would hang out with the baker’s assistant Guanlin quite a lot in the early morning before Woojin would push the assistant to start helping. 

 

For a brief second, it seemed this Seonho recognized Jihoon just as he had but the recognition faded from his eyes just as quickly. 

 

“Seonho, this is Jihoon. He usually hangs around in here a lot during the summers,” Jonghyun introduced him. Jihoon gave a small nod of his head before he tried to tear his eyes away. The Seonho he knew back in his Prince days and the one before him were identical and for a moment it was as if Jihoon wasn’t the only one who was stuck in the predicament of continuous living. Maybe, if he cornered the younger, he could figure it out himself, see if he remembered.

 

He would never get that chance, because the younger beat him to it. He was in the back of the second story looking over the many books that Jonghyun had just gotten in when he approached him, his eyes looking over the older boy’s face.

 

“Yes, Seonho?” Jihoon asked. He could feel the question burning in the air, but he wasn’t sure if Seonho was going to ask that one, or if Jihoon was just projecting that onto him. He waited, his breath hanging in the air with his own thoughts.

 

“You’re Jihoon,” he started, his eyes still gazing over his face. He looked around him to make sure they were truly alone, “Prince Jihoon.”

 

Jihoon turned to him, an excitement growing in his lungs, “Yes!”

 

“So I was right,” Seonho looked as if though he couldn’t breathe, “I knew it! I wasn’t sure if you’d remember me this time, but I knew it!”

 

“Be quiet,” Jihoon hushed him, leading him to one of the tables in the corner. Seonho looked like he was full of excitement and almost like his mind started whirring in overdrive in that moment. Jihoon felt a deep breath run through him as he tried to figure out what the  _ fuck _ to say in this situation.

 

“Jihoon,” Seonho smiled, “Are you a multi-lifer?”

 

“A what?” Jihoon smirked, “Is that what you call it?”

 

“Well it’s what Guanlin and I call it,” Seonho laughs, his eyes were full of humor and a soft adoration that Jihoon didn’t catch at first.

 

“Guanlin?” the older asked, his mind still caught on the fact that the younger had mentioned his aforementioned best friend. If Seonho and Guanlin both knew what they were doing, did that mean that one day both he and Woojin would?

 

“Yeah!” Seonho nodded frivolously, “Guanlin and I have been multi-lifers for about five centuries now! Guanlin is linear though, so unfortunately I have to jump between time periods, but we pretty much remember each other and what the other lived through pretty well.”

 

“There’s different kinds?” Jihoon perked up at that.

 

Seonho scrunched together his eyebrows, “You still don’t know about a lot of this do you?”

 

“The first life I remember anything from is the one we met in,” Jihoon shook his head, “I’ve never really remembered anything else other than my previous life.”

 

“You must be a linear one too!” Seonho’s voice was getting progressively louder and Jihoon had to quiet him down again. “Basically there’s linear multi-lifers and nonlinear.”

 

“Can we call them something else?” Jihoon cringed at the term ‘multi-lifer’.

 

“What do you call it?” Seonho asked, his face lightened with a bright look.

 

“Well,” Jihoon rubbed his hand on the back of his neck, “Life hopping, I guess.”

 

“Life hopping sounds cool!” Seonho nodded, “What about calling it hoppers? Like we’re hoppers?” Jihoon cringed again and Seonho shook his head, “Yeah saying it out loud it sounded weird too.”

 

“Multis?” Jihoon suggest, wondering why they were even having this part of the conversation. He had so many questions and none of them were getting answered. “Let’s just go with that.”

  
Seonho nodded in agreement and his face became serious as he went back to his explanation as he adapted to the new term, “Basically when you’re a multi, you can either live linearly in the history of time or non-linear like me where you jump through different time periods. So like Guanlin lives one life, and when he dies, he’s born again in that year. For me though, as soon as I die, I can be born into any year.”

 

“How do you two stay connected then? Couldn’t you be born anywhere at any time?” Jihoon asked, imagining a thirty two year old Guanlin and a six year old Seonho in separate parts of the world. The image in his brain made him chuckle to himself.

 

“Well that’s the catch,” Seonho leaned forward on his elbows and got closer to Jihoon, his eyes darkened, “You’re connected to somebody most of the time. Guanlin and I are connected. For me, whatever year he’s born in, I’m born about a year later. It’s always a year difference but we’re always in the same place.”

 

“Who figured it out first?” Jihoon asked, a scared tone in his voice.

 

Seonho caught on and focused more on Jihoon’s expressions as he kept talking, “I did. I had a sense of a previous life I lived but it was in the future. I would have dreams of my previous life and Guanlin would be there and I thought it was just me dreaming of something weird, but it only got weirder and weirder until everything came rushing back.”

 

“How long did it take until Guanlin realized?” Jihoon leaned back in his chair, adding distance between the two. He didn’t want to know but if Woojin were to remember one day, his lives would be a lot easier.

 

“Actually,” Seonho hummed, “it was only about eighty years ago.”

 

“Wait,” Jihoon blinked harshly, “You said you’ve been doing this for five centuries, but Guanlin only realized eighty years ago?”

 

“Yep!” Seonho nodded, “It was a little difficult not being able to tell him but you can tell when your partner realizes what’s going on.”

 

Jihoon chewed on his bottom lip for a second, “So when I kind of started, so did you?”

 

“You’ve been doing it for longer, I think!” Seonho nodded, “You probably just didn’t remember. Same with me.” The younger looked over at Jonghyun who was watching them from across the library floor. “It’s difficult to really explain any of this, especially since I’m still unsure on a lot of it. Having Guanlin to talk to really makes it a lot easier. One of the earliest lives I’ve lived was probably about 1092, maybe? That was a life or two after where we met. You were there!”

 

Jihoon felt a shock through his system, he hadn’t realized he went that far back, “Was… was Woojin?”

 

“I’ve been waiting for you to ask that!” Seonho laughed, “He was. He’s been in every life I’ve seen you in since then.”

 

“So you’ve seen us in future lives?” Jihoon perked up even more, “Both Woojin and I?”

 

“The last life I was in you two were there,” Seonho nodded, his eyes glazing over at the memory.

 

Jihoon’s head hurt a little bit from how he would remember any of this later on. He only had one last question before he had to leave anyways, “Have you seen Woojin at all?”

 

Seonho’s smug smile told him exactly what he was thinking about, “You’re going to have fun with this one.”

 

With that, Seonho stood up and left Jihoon to ponder what he meant as Jonghyun called for the younger to come over to where he was. Jihoon swallowed thickly as he stared at the books in thought. If Woojin and Seonho had already met in this life, did he know that Woojin hadn’t figured it out yet? Jihoon had only a little bit of time left in this world, and not a whole lot with Woojin.

  
  


A new school year meant he would have to leave for the boarding school he regularly attended. His birthday rapidly approaching meant it would be the last time he would leave too. The boarding school concept was something new for Jihoon. His lives leading up to this varied in quality. Some lives he was a starving kid barely surviving while in others he would be the top of his social tier. This time, his parents could survive to send him to a moderately good school. He would be in his last year of school just about now and although he was too excited to go when he was younger, he dreaded it. He didn’t want to see his mom off for the last time. 

 

When the day came, his father and mother dropped him off with a melancholy smile and a nostalgic grimace as they realized it was the last time they would be dropping him off here, although they believed it was because he would be completing school this time and heading off to college. His few tears ran down his cheek as he hugged his mother goodbye, memorizing her scent so he could find comfort in it after this life. 

 

His father squeezed him lightly on the shoulder and gave him a pat on the back, his dark eye bags revealing just how late he had been working. For a second, Jihoon had felt guilty. They were working hard to send him to such a good school and save up for any lick of a college fund they could afford for him. He knew that in all reality they didn’t know—couldn’t know—his secret, but it still hurt him to see the long hours his father would put in and how his mother would cut back on little expenses around the home.

 

In the end, it would be worth it, for them to remember their smart son, rather than some slacker kid that caused them trouble. He worked hard because this time around, he really loved his parents. They really did care for him and shape him to be a better human being. 

 

Which is why he cried more leaving this time than leaving at any part of his past lives. This was going to be difficult for him.

 

Luckily, Seonho and Guanlin were both going to be here this year, both of them starting their freshman year at the school. They were roommates, luckily, and the two of them were waiting for Jihoon to come inside and show them around the giant school. Seonho wouldn’t tell him where he saw Woojin, but he knew that if he was going to meet him in this life time, it would be soon. 

 

When he finally tore away from his parents and gone inside to his dorm room, he waited for the same roommate he had for the past three years. Their side was still empty and Jihoon fumbled with trying to decide between waiting for them, unpacking, or finding Seonho and Guanlin. 

 

Finally, after a few minutes of sitting on his bed, he realized that the two younger kids would probably be lost if he didn’t help them out a little bit. When he finally got the energy to stand up and head towards their dorm (Seonho had told him the day before leaving he would be in room 203, and laughed since that’s apparently a joke and Jihoon just missed out on it), dragging his feet as he went. 

 

As he turned down the hallway for the freshman dorms, Jihoon felt a tackle of limbs and bones. When he finally pulled away, both Seonho and Guanlin were smiling down at him and he hated how short he was in that moment. If the two of them were any taller, he would’ve left them there in that hallway to be together in all of their… tallness.

 

He still wasn’t the best at comebacks after all these years.

 

“Ah, Guanlin,” Jihoon still smiled up at him, a hint of fondness decorating his face.

 

“Prince Jihoon!” Guanlin let a giggle leave his lips and Jihoon thought it looked cute on him.

 

“You don’t have to call me that anymore,” Jihoon laughed, and Seonho looked between them with a glint of pride hidden in his eyes. There was a beat of silence and Jihoon coughed awkwardly to break up the silence. “You guys want me to show you around?”

 

Guanlin nodded feverently, “I would love it, Prince!”

 

Jihoon groaned, knowing that no matter what, they would both constantly call him the Prince from here on out. He led them on a quick tour of the place, saying hello to the teachers and other students he had grown to know in the past few years here. The pair were amazed by the architecture and size of all of the buildings. Once they were done, it was about time for dinner and they made their way to the grand hall to start to eat. Jihoon introduced them to his group of friends and watched Seonho’s reactions as he named all of them off. If the other showed any glint of recognition, then he would know that they were like Seonho, Guanlin, and him. 

 

Unfortunately, he gave no reaction.

  
  
  


It had been six days and Jihoon still hadn’t seen Woojin. He was getting worried. It was already the first week into the new school year and as of tomorrow, they wouldn’t be able to accept any new students. 

 

His roommate had been gone for most of the day and Jihoon was getting relentless. He hadn’t really unpacked either, and for the most part, Jihoon felt that that was weird. He had already finished the little bit of homework he already had and Seonho and Guanlin, who everybody had named The Chicks, were swamped with homework and other club activities. The two of them were glued at the hip and Jihoon could feel the jealousy seeping through his body.

 

He turned over in his bed, his head still throbbing from the day’s activities wearing him out. If he didn’t get up and move around, he was going to fall asleep too early and waste the day away. He heard his door open and close, but he kept his eyes closed. He just assumed it was his roommate coming back.

 

“Well this is no way to greet your new roommate. I heard you were kind of distant, but didn’t know you would straight up ignore people,” a familiar voice greeted him. Jihoon swallowed, turning over to look at who was walking in. 

 

There he stood, looking exactly the same that he always had. A smug smile greeted him with a small snaggletooth on top of his bottom lip. His hair was a shade of brown that Jihoon had never seen on him before. His eyes were deep, full of stories from this lifetime that Jihoon wanted to know every detail of.

 

“Uh,” Jihoon swallowed. For a second it felt like Woojin recognized him. “Who are you?”

 

“I’m Park Woojin!” he grinned brighter, “Unfortunately, your roommate wanted a different room. I guess you were rude to him or something. Luckily,  _ I  _ was there to  _ graciously _ take his place.”

 

“Why would he say that? We barely talk?” Jihoon swallowed thickly and tried to take in the sight of the one person he was destined to be connected to. The two of them stared at each other as Jihoon waited for Woojin to say something.

 

“I don’t know,” he still had a grin across his face as he looked around the room. “He barely unpacked though. It looks like he’s kind of… I don’t know… distant from you anyways.”

 

Woojin waved a hand around as he said this and Jihoon tried to breathe. Every time he got to see Woojin for the first time, it was just like he was seeing him in the maze all over again. Twelve year old Jihoon, back then, felt amazed that somebody like Woojin could even exist, and this Jihoon could feel his entire being melt under Woojin’s intense gaze. His body was angled towards Jihoon although he was looking at his old roommate’s stuff.

 

“Why haven’t I seen you before?” Jihoon scrunched his eyebrows.

 

“Oh! Easy!” Woojin looked like he was piecing together an elaborate story. “Because, I, uh just moved here and my parents enrolled me late.” He definitely was.

 

“So is today your first day?” Jihoon sat up in his bed and ruffled his hair.

 

“Yesterday was, technically, but I didn’t go to my classes. I’ll start them on Monday,” Woojin sat on the other bed almost tentatively, like he wasn’t sure if it was his or not. Jihoon could only watch his every move. He had been waiting almost nineteen years to see him, and this Woojin seemed different in a way he wasn’t sure about.

 

“So when is my roommate coming to get his stuff?” Jihoon felt his blood pressure rise as Woojin’s eyes widened.

 

“Oh yeah,” Woojin laughed, “He has to do that still. I have to move my stuff too. I’ll be back.”

 

And at that, Woojin left in a hurry. 

  
  


Jihoon didn’t see him until later that night, but only after Haknyeon came by and packed all of his stuff. 

 

“Okay, why are you moving to a different room?” Jihoon cornered him as soon as he entered the room. 

 

Haknyeon gave him a weird look as he pushed past him, “Don’t get your underwear in a ball.”

 

“I don’t think that’s the saying,” Jihoon grimaced.

 

“Anyways, the new kid had his parents send a lot of money to be in this room. They asked if it was okay if I moved rooms and I said sure. Now I’m rooming with Euiwoong,” Haknyeon’s sheepish smile was easy to read and Jihoon laughed, “Shut up.”

 

“What happened with Euiwoong’s roommate?” Jihoon asked sitting back on his bed and opening up one of his notebooks.

 

“His parents moved back to America and took him with him. Euiwoong is devastated. They were best friends apparently,” Haknyeon straightened up his back, “So I’m going to be his shoulder to cry on.”

 

“You’re pathetic,” Jihoon scoffed in a joking matter.

 

“I like to call it innovative,” Haknyeon sent a loving smile over his shoulder and Jihoon could feel the sarcasm dripping from his spot on the bed.

 

“Well, I’m glad you’re not switching because you hate me or something. Did the guy say why he wanted this room so badly?” Jihoon asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.

 

“Nope,” Haknyeon shook his head, the slight quip of his voice showing he was just as curious. Jihoon hummed, letting the conversation die off as he turned his attention back to the book on his bed. Haknyeon finished packing up the rest of his stuff with a big dorky smile on his face. Jihoon thought of teasing him, but left him in silence. A knock came later in the night with Euiwoong slowly entering the room to help Haknyeon move his stuff. 

 

“Hi, Euiwoong,” Jihoon greeted. Euiwoong raised his eyes slowly up to Jihoon and gave him a soft smile that reminded him of a shy dog. Haknyeon looked between them before gripping Euiwoong on the shoulder and giving it a tight squeeze. They loaded up the boxes and Jihoon wished a goodbye to his roommate of so long.

 

When Woojin finally showed up that night, he had about four or five boxes that Euiwoong was helping lugging behind him. Jihoon shot him an apologetic look as he walked away, not even giving the new kid another look. Woojin moved to start unpacking without even acknowledging Jihoon.

 

Every time Jihoon looked at Woojin, he had to remind himself that in this life, he didn’t know Woojin. Although they were essentially the same in each life, Jihoon could always tell a small difference each time. This Woojin was immensely different. He couldn’t tell what it was, but there was something different about Woojin this time and Jihoon was trying to steal a look to figure out, exactly  _ what _ it was.

 

“Are you just going to keep staring at me?” Woojin asked finally looking over at Jihoon. With a sigh, Jihoon shook his head. He’d figure it out over time.

  
  


The two of them fell into a silent rhythm over the next month. When classes were done, Jihoon would come back to the room to study in silence while Woojin followed suit about an hour after him. Jihoon would never ask what he was doing within that hour, he never wanted to. He wanted Woojin to open up to him on his own time, not force it out of him.

 

During dinner they would walk together, and although Woojin would go off with some other students, he would still only be a table or two away from Jihoon, close enough he could feel his presence but far away enough to know that he wasn’t as close as he could be, as close as they have before.

 

“Have you ever kissed him before?” Seonho asked once, when it was just three of them at their table. Jihoon shook his head. “Never?”

 

“Closest I’ve gotten was a kiss on the cheek about thirty years ago?” Jihoon bit his cheek. “I died the next day.”

 

“Oh,” Seonho scrunched together his eyebrows, “From you or to you?”

 

“From me,” Jihoon laid his head down and tried to angle his stare to Woojin. He was laughing really hard at something one of his friends, a younger boy named Justin, was saying.

 

“I can’t believe he’s hanging out with that crowd anyways,” Guanlin shook his head, “Justin can be a little… weird sometimes. Woojin has never seemed to be that type.”  

 

“Something about him seems off in this life,” Jihoon shook his head. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I haven’t known him until now or something but I’m just… it feels different this time around.”

 

“You can’t say anything, can you?” Guanlin looked to his other half.

 

“No,” Seonho shook his head. “I can only mention what’s already happened for you.”

 

“Yeah, but have you tried to tell us, or warn us?” Jihoon asked. His hope was only sparked when Seonho thought about it for a moment.

 

“Nope,” he shook his head. It might have been all the lives he’s lived before but Seonho looked as if he knew more than he was letting on. Jihoon wanted to know, no, more like needed to know. His mind was racing with thoughts of why Woojin seemed so much more… mischievous this time around. It could’ve been his upbringing this time around. Jihoon knows more than anybody the fight of nature versus nurture. He’s had to grow up around different environments each new life and try to remember how to stick to his core values and who he really is deep down. His main personality and life was centered by how his father raised him back in his Prince days.

 

“He never says anything about our future together,” Guanlin smirks, giving Seonho a glare that screamed loving.

 

“Speaking of which,” Jihoon turned back to them, missing when Woojin’s eyes shifted to meet his in that moment. “With you living in non-linear, do you not mention future lives to Guanlin to keep the surprise?”

 

“Pretty much,” Seonho nodded pretty quickly, his hair messing up softly across his forehead. Guanlin leaned forward and moved it off his forehead, a soft smile spreading across his lips.

 

“I can’t wait for that,” Jihoon muttered more to himself than anything. He coughed to his words before standing up, “I’m gonna go the library to study some.”

 

The other two were too engrossed in each other to really notice him. Jihoon left in a hurry as he walked past Woojin’s table. He greeted a few people as he left, throwing away the last of the food on his plate. He looked back over to Seonho and Guanlin who were now in a deep conversation about something (well more like Seonho was doing all the talking and Guanlin was listening like Seonho was describing the entire meaning of life to him). 

 

The whole way to the library he could feel his heart breaking. This Woojin seemed like he didn’t give a single thought to him. They were both near each other so much but the moment Woojin could leave, he would, making Jihoon feel as if he was fleeing from him. It was heartbreaking for Jihoon to watch the one he loved so much walk away without looking back. 

 

Once he got to the library, he placed his books down and started studying right away. His classes had gotten harder throughout his senior year and he felt swamped overall. He knew the last few months of this life he would be stuck studying just because it would make his parents in this lifetime proud after he died.

 

“What are you doing here?” he heard Woojin behind him. When he turned, Woojin was leaning on the closest bookcase. Jihoon’s heart skipped a beat when he looked up at him. Woojin looked like he had stepped straight out of heaven, his own eyes gleaming as he looked down at Jihoon.

 

“Studying,” Jihoon let the word slip out softly as Woojin circled the table to sit across the table from him.

 

“Oh,” Woojin set his own book on the table and focused on the notes in front of him. Jihoon let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and took another look at Woojin. 

 

“What are you doing here?” Jihoon asked him.

 

Woojin looked up and give him a smirk that made Jihoon’s heart thump against his chest, “Studying.” Jihoon felt dumb after and coughed awkwardly to cover up the slow blush creeping up his cheeks. The two of them sat for about an hour while they kept studying, occasionally looking up at each other without the other knowing. If somebody had stumbled upon them studying in silence just staring at each other every so often, they would’ve thought they were dating with the way stars in their eyes would project onto the other’s skin.

 

“Have we met before?” Woojin broke the silence finally.

 

Jihoon could feel his blood run hot underneath his skin, “Um.”

 

“Like I mean before the school year. Like do you live in Manchester or something?” Woojin closed the book in front of him and leaned on his hands to get a good look at Jihoon, “I feel like I’ve seen you before.”   
  


“Nope,” Jihoon shook his head, “I’ve never left London.”

 

“I could’ve sworn I heard you talking to Seonho about New York or something,” Woojin shook his head. “Speaking of which, how do you know Seonho? We went to school back in Manchester and you guys already seem really close.”

 

“He works in the library near my home,” Jihoon felt his heart race. This was getting too close to actually being able to tell him everything. This was  _ his  _ Woojin, but not his at the same time. Woojin seemed to accept that answer and finally let Jihoon go back to studying. They stayed silent for another few minutes before Woojin spoke again.

 

“I’m sorry I just felt like you were definitely talking about sights you’ve seen in New York. I don’t know why this is bothering me so much. You’ve never been,” Woojin shoved his book off to the side this time, his words harsh against the silence of the library.

 

“Woojin,” Jihoon sighed, “I’ve never been to New York. You probably just heard wrong.”

 

He grumbled, sitting back in his seat a bit, “You know you’re cute when you’re expasarated.”

 

Jihoon choked on his breath a bit, “What?”

 

“Yeah,” Woojin leaned forward again and focused on Jihoon’s expression, “Like… really cute. Has nobody ever told you that before?”

 

_ You did, back in 1694.  _ Jihoon tried to hold back any thought he had if they weren’t rational, “No.”

 

“Well, they should more often,” Woojin moved a hand over to Jihoon’s hair and ruffled it a bit. He didn’t miss the way that Jihoon’s cheeks warmed up and he didn’t miss the way his breath stopped as Woojin touched him.

 

“S-stop,” Jihoon pushed away his hand, “I’m trying to focus. Plus somebody might see you and think you’re crazy or something.”

 

“Do you think I’m crazy?” Woojin smirked, “Because I called you cute?”

 

“No,” Jihoon’s eyes widened dramatically, “I just think that people at this school are really judgemental and I don’t want you to get that kind of reputation.”

 

“You’re strange, Park Jihoon,” Woojin laughed, “I don’t care about my reputation.”

 

Jihoon pondered over his words. This Woojin was more forward, more careless about his actions. He pushed for Jihoon’s reactions and laughed at them when he did take the time to talk to him.

 

“Do you think it’s fun to mess with me?” Jihoon felt suddenly brave against the revelation about the other.

 

Woojin looked shocked for a moment, “What?”

 

“I-I really think you like to mess with me. One moment you act like I don’t exist and the other… it’s like you’re—” Jihoon started.

 

Woojin leaned forward so fast Jihoon barely had time to keep up, “Like I’m flirting?”

 

Jihoon nodded slowly and watched Woojin’s eyes slowly dip down to his own lips and then back up, “What do you want from me?”

 

Woojin swallowed slowly,  _ “You.” _

 

Jihoon backed up instinctively but Woojin  leaned forward more, keeping how close he was to him, “Am I freaking you out?”

 

“Yeah,” Jihoon nodded, his heart beating against his chest, “Kind of.”

 

Woojin laughed and moved back to his seat. “You’re fun to mess with.”

 

Jihoon huffed and closed his books, his eyes set on the door out of there, “See you back in our dorm.”

 

“Oh, come on, Jihoon. I’m just playing around,” Woojin laughed. Jihoon couldn’t even respond as he turned to the exit. He ignored Woojin’s calls for him to wait up or turn around as he kept making his way to their dorm. He knew as soon as he made it there, he’d have to turn around and face him but he didn’t want to deal with it at that moment in time.

 

“Jihoon!” Seonho called out to him as he started to leave his own dorm. Before he could even say anything back, Jihoon pushed them both back in his dorm and closed the door before Woojin could catch up with either of them.

 

“What was that about?” Seonho asked.

 

“I need to tell you about what just happened,” Jihoon sat on Seonho’s bed before realizing that Guanlin was already laying on it. “I’m not gonna ask.”

 

“Jihoon!” Seonho scoffed before sitting at the chair at his desk. “Focus! What just happened?”

 

Jihoon spent a moment recalling the events to the two as they listened on in silence. Guanlin’s face was slightly more reactive than Seonho’s so Jihoon spent most of the time looking at him as he retold the entire sequence of events.

 

“I’m gonna teach him a lesson,” Guanlin went to go stand up and Seonho and Jihoon went to block him.

 

“No!” they both screamed at the same time. 

 

“If you say anything to him now, he’ll be too confused on why it matters,” Seonho shook his head. Guanlin folded his lanky legs back down on the bed and bore a frown that Jihoon felt was almost humorous. “Jihoon, when he was talking about meeting you before, did he mention anything about a previous life that he was in? Like a memory he was having of a life before this one?”

 

Jihoon shook his head and ran a hand through his hair, “No. He only asked if we had met before but he thought it was because I had been in Manchester. He kept asking about New York, which was the life before this one, but only because he overheard you and I talking about it.”

 

“We only talked about it last week in the library. I thought we were alone,” Seonho looked off to the side in confusion. 

 

“I guess we weren’t,” Jihoon grumbled. “I should get back to the dorm. I’m getting pretty tired.”

 

“You can sleep here tonight if you’re uncomfortable,” Guanlin offered. “I won’t be using my bed anyways.”

 

“Guanlin!” Seonho blushed suddenly. Jihoon laughed at their empty bickering as he moved to sit on Guanlin’s bed. If he went back to his room before lights out and headcount and then snuck back to their room, he could avoid Woojin as much as possible for the day. 

 

It was funny, the constant need to meet him in this lifetime just to want to run away from him the minute he met him in this life. He was used to a softer Woojin who spent his time joking  _ with  _ Jihoon, not against him in any state or joking about him. This Woojin was rougher around the edges, almost as if he had been dragged through a lot.

 

As Jihoon settled into the cold of Guanlin’s bed and he could see the other two boys mold into one, he breathed out heavily. One day he wouldn’t have to fight for Woojin’s love. The thought of Jihoon’s love would be enough to power Woojin through each day, just as his was power for Jihoon.

  
  


When he woke up, Woojin was pounding on the door, demanding Jihoon to come out. The younger of the two were barely registering what was happening and Jihoon rushed to the door to save them from having to wake up early on a Saturday morning when they were promised a bit of sleep. 

 

“What?” Jihoon snapped, eyes still hazy from sleep. Woojin looked pissed, even more so than Jihoon would’ve expected. “Calm down.”

 

“Calm down?” Woojin laughed, his eyes comically bulging out. “You want me to calm down? My roommate shows up for head count and then disappears. I don’t get any explanation and you want me to calm down?”

 

“After the stunt you pulled yesterday, why are you surprised?” Jihoon scoffed. He started making his way back to their dorm and Woojin was hot on his heels.

 

“You’re still hung up on that?” Woojin laughed uncharacteristically (or maybe it was in his character this time around to laugh like that; Jihoon really didn’t know). “I was just messing around.”

 

Jihoon shut his mouth until they were inside their own dorm room, door closed and everything before he turned around to look at Woojin with fire in his own eyes. Woojin backed away, looking like a hurt puppy, “Messing around? Seriously? You were just messing around.”

 

Woojin looked scared to say anything but he finally barked out a final, “Yeah.”

 

“To you right now this is just messing around, but for me I have a lot on my plate Woojin and I don’t need you messing around with me unless you know what you’re getting into. If you can’t handle me getting angry at you for joking around like that, just stay away from me,” Jihoon took a deep breath, “Because I’m not going to be around for much longer and if you don’t understand that now, it’s going to be really difficult for you in the future.”

 

“What? Are you dying or something?” Woojin scoffed. Jihoon hesitated and Woojin’s face fell, “Wait, you’re dying?”

 

“Not exactly,” Jihoon caught up, “I’m not  _ dying _ but I’m not going to be here in a couple of months.”

 

“Like you’re moving,” Woojin deadpanned.

 

“No!” Jihoon cried out, exhaustion winning this argument over anybody else. “Can you stop asking me? God, why are you so annoying this time?”

 

“This time?” Woojin’s eyebrows scrunched together and he stepped closer to Jihoon, “Is there some secret about me that you know and I don’t?”

 

Jihoon wanted to scream it out, just tell him, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t tell him the truth when all he wanted in that moment was to relish in the worry and anger mixed in Woojin’s eyes. “No.”

 

“That feels like a lie,” Woojin boiled over and he started for the door. This time, Jihoon couldn’t lose him. Not when every fight and every look with Woojin over the years left him alone and scared.

 

“Don’t go,” Jihoon called out, his voice wavering over with an overwhelming feeling of sadness. Woojin hesitated, turning to look at him. “Please. I’ll explain as much as I can. Just don’t go.”

 

“You’re the most confusing person I’ve ever met,” Woojin looked as if he was still going to go but Jihoon kept his face the same. He waited a couple of seconds before turning back to Jihoon and moving to sit on his bed. Jihoon did the same and sat on his own bed and looked at Woojin with as much adoration he could. “Explain, Jihoon.”

 

“I’m not going to live past my nineteenth birthday,” Jihoon started slow. He was going to explain as much as he could that would make sense in this lifetime. “I have about four months left.”

 

Woojin’s face paled, “Is it a disease or something?”

 

“You could call it that,” Jihoon felt himself crying now, “You have to know that not even my parents know. The only ones that do are Seonho and Guanlin. That’s why I’m so close to them.”

 

“Why do they know but your own parents don’t?” Woojin asked.

 

Jihoon swallowed, “I told them because I couldn’t keep it a secret anymore. Now it’s just you three that know.”

 

“Oh,” Woojin faltered for a moment, “How do your parents not know? Wouldn’t they be with you when a doctor comes and visits?” 

 

“Yeah, well,” Jihoon hesitated again. He wasn’t sure how to get around this, “When I got sick right before school, I had cholera. I was alone in the room when the doctor visited, and he told me that I had the same symptoms of cholera but that it was highlighted by something else they don’t know yet. Like an unknown disease? I guess? He said he was going to tell my parents, but I told him I would tell them myself. Then he told me that it looked like I was going to die in a few short months. He couldn’t get really specific but he told me around May or something like that, which is my birthday.”

 

“Did he say if it was contagious or not?” Woojin asked, his worry spreading towards the edges of his face at this point.

 

“It’s not,” Jihoon shook his head. “I researched what I could about it at the library. That’s how Seonho and I got so close.”

 

Woojin sat for a moment in silence as he mulled over the excuse. It wasn’t a total lie, but hopefully Woojin would believe it and Jihoon could get the most out of this. “What did you mean by this time?”

 

Jihoon was surprised by that question. He had forgotten he had even said that on accident, “Oh. Um. I meant, like, this time, today. I have a hard time with words.”

 

“Because of the disease?” Woojin asked, sympathy laced within his words.

 

“Yeah,” Jihoon played along.

 

“That makes sense,” Woojin nodded and Jihoon’s heart sank. He hated lying to the other but this was the first time that Woojin had ever pushed him about this.

 

“What?” Jihoon looked up and noticed Woojin’s pentative face, as if he was waiting to say something but needed Jihoon’s permission first. “Spit it out.”   
  


“Can I tell you the truth about something?” Woojin asked and Jihoon nodded. The room was deafening quiet as Woojin gathered the courage to talk, “I actually had seen you my first day. And I kind of… I don’t know. I wouldn’t call it love at first sight or anything but like… I really was interested in you. So I asked Euiwoong about you and he told me who you are and like… I kind of asked my parents to pay for me to room with you.”

 

Jihoon’s heart thudded against his chest. “You what?”

 

“Look!” Woojin groaned, “I literally don’t know how else to say this. Please don’t make me repeat any of it.”

 

“Do you like me, Park Woojin?” Jihoon could feel his smile growing.

 

Woojin blushed, color finally returning to his face, “Maybe.”

 

He avoided looking at Jihoon as the other let out an incredulous laugh, “So you weren’t messing around, were you?” 

 

“Seriously!” Woojin threw a pillow at Jihoon, “That’s what you care about right now?”

 

Jihoon’s heart finally calmed down as he laughed at the younger’s actions. He wanted to cry from happiness because the other was in front of him, blushing because Jihoon was teasing him about  _ liking  _ him. “To be fair Woojin, I think I’ve liked you for a bit too.”

 

“Really?” Woojin’s eyes were suddenly meeting his and Jihoon felt taken aback, like he wasn’t able to breathe properly yet again because of Woojin. Five hundred years of this and Woojin still made his heart race. He would always be in love with Woojin, no matter how upfront, no matter how brazen or confident he appeared to be. Woojin was always the same underneath. Jihoon nodded and Woojin laughed softly, “This is… too much for me today.”

 

“I could imagine so,” Jihoon swallowed, bittersweet tears meeting the corners of his eyes. There were only four months with Woojin left. And now Woojin knew that too. “Please… um… please don’t waste any more time with me. That’s why I was adamant earlier. I don’t have much time and I don’t want to waste anymore of it skirting around the edges.”

 

“Do you really want to do this?” Woojin scooted to the edge of his bed and Jihoon swallowed. There wasn’t much space between their beds so at this point their knees were touching. “Because I’m not one to back down from anything. If you want to do this, you have to be ready for anything.”

 

Jihoon only took a second to think of what Woojin could’ve been implying, “Yes.”

 

Because a second was all it took to realize that no matter the life, he would be irrevocably whipped for Woojin. 

 

It only took a second for Woojin to close the space between them and it only took a second more for their lips to meet, slow and softly. It was sweet and innocent, a little bit of a fumble for dominance and Woojin was pushing him against the bed. Jihoon followed. He would follow wherever Woojin led him. 

 

“You sure this isn’t contagious?” Woojin smirked, pulling away for a moment. Jihoon nodded and Woojin caught his lips again, kissing him into a daze. It would only take a moment more for Woojin to move to his jaw, nipping away. Jihoon let out a breathy sigh as Woojin’s hands moved to his side, gripping his waist roughly as he tried to get closer to Jihoon.

 

“Let me know if I hurt you,” Woojin hummed into his neck. Jihoon wished he could tell him he was technically perfectly healthy for now. He wished he could tell him that anything he did would never hurt him. If he wanted to, Woojin could throw him over his shoulder and carry him over the whole school, accidentally throwing him into walls or whatever he wanted to do, because Jihoon would let him.

 

But now, the lie he concocted truly prevented anything of the sort. In the end it would only mean that Woojin would touch him in such a gentle manner that Jihoon would go crazy with want, with need, with a desire he didn’t know was burning for five hundred years.

 

“Jihoon?” Woojin was hovering over him, lips raw and red and plump. He had a face of worry and Jihoon felt so guilty.

 

“I’m fine,” Jihoon almost was in tears at this point, “I promise.”

 

Woojin crawled off of him and in turn laid next to him, his arm protectively going across Jihoon’s waist. Jihoon could feel the tears welling up to the surface. In the entire time he’s known Woojin, the other would only treat him as a friend, only love him from a distance until the end. This time around Jihoon got to enjoy every moment of his love with Woojin. It was too much to bear and his tears spilled over. Woojin held onto him, letting him cry it out. 

 

“Did I do something to hurt—” Woojin started once Jihoon had calmed down a bit.

 

“No,” Jihoon interrupted, “I think I was just holding that in for a while.” Woojin nodded and held Jihoon closer. The two of them ended up tangling themselves together for a while, falling asleep to the sound of each other’s breathing.

  
  


When they woke up later that day, it was like they were picking up right where they left off. Woojin kissed him softly, holding onto Jihoon like he was going to fade away in his arms. Jihoon felt his heart full of just Woojin’s kisses. They kissed for a few minutes and Jihoon could feel Woojin’s smile against his lips. 

 

“What are you smiling about?” Jihoon laughed, his cheeks tinged pink.

 

“You’re really pretty like this,” Woojin brushed aside the little bit of hair in front of Jihoon’s eyes. “Just here, next to me like this.”

 

“Being next to you makes me pretty?” Jihoon teased.

 

“Well,” Woojin laughed, his deep voice heaven against Jihoon’s ears. “I’m not saying it’s because you’re next to me. But every time I see you and I think you’re really pretty, you are close to me.”

 

Jihoon let out a laugh and Woojin smiled at the sight. He kissed his jaw again as Jihoon calmed down, “I don’t know how I’ve lived without you.”

 

“Aw, do I mean that much to you?” Woojin grinned.

 

Jihoon nodded, “You’ll never know.” 

 

“I wish I could see inside your mind sometimes. You’re so hard to read,” Woojin started to trace patterns into Jihoon’s side.

 

“I’m sure you’d be shocked at what you found,” Jihoon smirked, moving closer to Woojin.

 

“Is it just like shrine of me in there?” Woojin tapped Jihoon’s forehead.

 

_ Yes. _ “No,” Jihoon laughed. “You wish.”

 

Woojin sighed, leaning his own head against Jihoon’s, “Maybe I do.”

  
  
  


“What happened between you two?” Guanlin asked, a glint of hope in his eyes as the two of them sat at Jihoon’s regular table. They were keeping most of their relationship just between the two of them but it was still painstakingly obvious that something had changed.

 

Seonho shot Jihoon a look to ask him if Woojin had remembered or realized, but in turn Jihoon just gave him a solitary shake of the head, “Nothing, Guanlin.”

 

“Sure,” Seonho scoffed, hiding his face before Woojin could see it, “I’m so sure about that. You guys are together now. That was bound to happen.”

 

“What?” Jihoon was a second from taking a bite of his food but put down his fork to frown at the younger. 

 

“Woojin over here has been pretty much enamored with you since he transferred,” Seonho smirked and Jihoon wanted to smack him across the head, “It’s just more fun to not tell you.”

 

“You’re making a habit of keeping secrets, Seonho,” Jihoon grumbled.

 

“Speaking of which,” Woojin took a drink of his water, “Why didn’t you tell me about Jihoon’s disease?”

 

“His what?” Guanlin looked from Jihoon to Woojin in confusion.

 

“Oh yeah,” Jihoon tried to convey desperation in his face. “Y’know. My disease.”

 

Seonho caught on faster than Guanlin, “Oh! That! We just try to pretend it’s not happening. That’s how Jihoon asked us to act.”

 

Woojin nodded, “I understand that. He told me yesterday about it.”

 

Jihoon felt the guilt weigh heavily upon him as Seonho glared at him from across the table. If Jihoon had known any better he would found a way to get around Woojin thinking he was going to  _ die  _ from a disease in four months but this was where he was. It was just what Jihoon had to do until the end of this life. After that, he would be in a new life, where they would start anew. 

 

The four of them ate lunch, talking about what they were going to do the rest of the weekend. Jihoon searched for Woojin’s hand under the table and once he found it he gave it a tight squeeze, sending any kind of love and understanding he could his way.

  
  


Four months with somebody meant a lot of memories that Jihoon wished Woojin would take into his next life, but it was only Jihoon who got to hold onto them. It also meant that he would be leaving soon, and this time Jihoon didn’t want to leave. He wanted Woojin to remember so he could stay here with him, but that also meant creating some fake cure to a fake disease he didn’t even have a name for.

 

It was his birthday and Woojin was getting antsy. Jihoon had been staying in bed for longer and he wished he could say it was some unknown disease; anything would be better than how he feels right now. Woojin saw it as the disease and every night that they would crawl into bed together, he would hold him close, keeping his own tears close to his eyes so that Jihoon wouldn’t notice him crying.

 

But he did notice, and that just crushed his soul a little bit more every day. 

  
  


“Happy birthday, Jihoon,” Woojin was already awake when Jihoon woke up that day, and Jihoon could feel his heart break into a bunch of tiny pieces. He was staring at him with such big eyes that Jihoon could see himself in the reflection of them. From the sound of his voice, he could tell that Woojin had cried before he woke up. “How are you feeling today?”

 

“I’m—” Jihoon choked up for a second, “I’m feeling okay.”

 

Woojin let out a breath and dug his face into Jihoon’s hair, kissing it softly. “I’m so happy you’re still here.”

 

“Me too,” Jihoon knew that if it was going to happen, then today would be the day. He had already wrote a letter to his parents explaining how much he loved them and how thankful he was for everything they did for him. He made amends with everybody in this life and now he only had to spend today with Woojin. Luckily his birthday fell on a Saturday so he could enjoy the whole day with him.

 

“Are you still up for going into town?” Woojin asked, kissing his cheek. Jihoon nodded and turned to kiss Woojin himself. This kiss was fierce and Jihoon put as much as he could into it. He really did feel more exhausted and his body felt weaker. Seonho attributed that to the length of years he had lived getting used to his average life span. 

 

“Come on. I’ll help you get dressed,” Woojin pulled him up and Jihoon’s heart soared. This was the sweetest Woojin had ever been to him. He didn’t want today to end. The two of them got dressed, albeit slowly, because Jihoon was really in pain and for a moment he really thought the disease he lied about was coming true, whether or not the origin of the lie was true or not.

 

Once dressed, they made their way to the front of the school where Woojin had arranged everything for them today, from transportation to money for food and whatever Woojin wanted to spoil Jihoon with. After arriving, Woojin whisked them to a local bakery where Jihoon’s heart squeezed with the thought of Woojin as a baker again. He went on to talk about how he was in love with pastries and he never really knew where the love came from but he was a natural baker.

 

“I’ll have to show you one day,” Woojin smiled, “You’d love my cookies.”

 

“I promise I will,” Jihoon nodded, his heart breaking again. Woojin missed his slip up and kept talking about baking and Jihoon tried to stop the tears from falling again, he really did.

 

“Wait,” Woojin stopped talking for a moment when he noticed his boyfriend’s tears. “Oh no. Jihoon, I’m sorry.”

 

“It’s okay,” Jihoon shook his head, “I’m fine. I’m just happy I’m with you right now.”

 

Their server brought them their pastries and tea. They thanked him quietly and Woojin turned back to Jihoon, taking his hand in his own. “Do you believe in life after death?”

 

“Yes,” Jihoon answered quickly.

 

“I do too,” Woojin hesitated before speaking again, “I feel like I’ve seen you before, Jihoon, and maybe we’ve lived past lives together. Maybe in the next life, we’ll meet again and I’ll get to love you fully then.”

 

Jihoon was entirely crying now. He leaned his head down and felt the breaths shake out of him. Woojin squeezed his hand and let his own tears fall. Jihoon took a deep breath, sick of crying during his last days with Woojin, “I love you so much, Woojin.”

 

“I love you too,” he muttered back, passing a cloth napkin over to Jihoon to wipe up his tears.

  
  


Woojin and Jihoon spent the day roaming around the village, completely within their own bubble. Woojin only talked about Jihoon and asked him so much about him. By the time they were heading back to the school, Jihoon was exhausted.

 

“Hey, I keep meaning to ask,” Woojin breathed out softly against the cold night air, a small puff of fog escaping his lips, “Why does Guanlin call you Prince?”

 

“Ah,” Jihoon let a small smile cross his face, “He thinks I was a prince in a past life or something.”

 

Woojin’s face contorted to one of confusion before fading back into adoration, “That kid is so weird.”

 

Jihoon laughed against the silent night, “Yeah. He really is.”

  
  
  
  


What Jihoon expected whenever he laid down that night was to not wake up the next morning as Jihoon of 1832. He expected to wake up as a small Jihoon was just figuring out to store memories in his mind. Usually when he died, he faded into the next life and would be about two or three years old. 

 

But he woke up as Jihoon of 1832. He woke up next to Woojin in their shared bed. He was feeling more refreshed, stronger, and less weak.

 

“Jihoon?” Woojin stirred next to him. They both blinked as they looked at each other, and Jihoon could feel the breath leave his body as he realized he was still alive. He kissed Woojin in that moment, harshly too. Their teeth crashed against each other and Woojin let out a gasp. When he did, Jihoon moved down to Woojin’s jawline, leaving a kiss everywhere his lips could touch. “Slow down.”

 

“Mmm,” Jihoon hummed against his neck, “Don’t want to.”

 

“Jihoon,” Woojin repeated, forcing the older to move back, “I don’t want you to push yourself.”

 

Jihoon shook his head and let out a gracious laugh, “I feel great.” He rolled over, trapping Woojin underneath him as he pressed a kiss against his temple this time. “I really feel… amazing.”

 

Woojin let out a soft laugh as he pulled Jihoon down to press a kiss against the older’s lips. They sat there, kissing for what felt like ages before Woojin moved his hands dangerously low. He let his fingers dance around the edge of Jihoon’s shirt before gripping it after Jihoon bit down onto his bottom lip. He moved to take it off but Jihoon beat him to it, slipping out of it effortlessly. Woojin broke away from their kiss to let him and he reveled in Jihoon. His eyes glanced softly over him and Jihoon felt like he was Woojin’s entire world with just his stare.

 

“Say something,” Jihoon finally broke the tension, “Or kiss me again.”

 

“You’re so beautiful,” Woojin ran a hand down Jihoon’s chest and the older shivered, “You don’t even look like you’re sick.”   
  


Jihoon’s heart sank in guilt before he shrugged, “Maybe I’m just having a good day.”

 

“I hope that it’s followed by more good days,” Woojin leaned forward and kissed him again. They continued kissing, their breath mingling together in the cold air of their room. 

 

They wouldn’t break away until Jihoon forced them too so he could catch his breath on his own. “I have to go talk to Seonho for a minute. Just… stay here. I’ll be back.”

 

“Do you have to?” Woojin whined, his pout making Jihoon want to stay.

 

“Yes, unfortunately. He’s been helping me research this disease and I think he was saying he may have found something a couple of days ago,” Jihoon sighed, “If he found something to help me, then maybe we won’t have to worry about this disease anymore.”

 

“Go, go,” Woojin leaned up and kissed Jihoon gently. Jihoon grabbed his shirt from the floor and pulled it on. He made his way into the hallway to head towards the Chick’s room. Jihoon knocked on their door, his smile wider than usual. Whatever this meant, it was followed with more days with Woojin which was something Jihoon couldn’t complain about.

 

“Jihoon?” Seonho opened the door, surprise evident across his face. Even the two of them believed Jihoon would be gone by his nineteenth birthday. Jihoon had never lived past the day of his birthday. Not once in the last 29 years.

 

“Still here!” he laughed as he stepped into their room. Guanlin sat up, shock etched onto his face. “I woke up today. I’m 19. I’ve never lived past this.”

 

“Maybe Woojin’s remembering,” Seonho grinned. Jihoon confusedly looked at him. “Oh yeah! I forgot to mention. If your partner figures it out, then you start to live a full life. I only lived up to 15 or 16 before Guanlin figured it out.”

 

“What the fuck, Seonho? Now you’re mentioning this to me!” Jihoon shouted. Guanlin laughed, his hand covering his mouth. He felt cheated. This was information he could’ve used a long time ago.

 

“I’m sorry!” Seonho flinched back, “I forgot to tell you! That’s why I see you guys in later lives for you when you’re like thirty.”

 

Jihoon glared at Seonho, his mind reeling with this newfound information, “So you’re telling me that if I get Woojin to remember, I get to enjoy full lives with him.”

 

“Jihoon,” Guanlin laughed, “Just calm down a bit. This is a good thing!” 

 

“Essentially, yes,” Seonho nodded and Jihoon felt his blood boil at that point, “I didn’t think it was that important!” 

 

Jihoon scoffed, “Not that important? Seonho this is the first life I’ve gotten a taste at what it was like to be with Woojin in more than a sense of just friends and you’re telling me that living past nineteen years old means a full life with him. So I get to be with him when I’m thirty, forty, or fuck, even eighty years old?”

 

“Yes?” Seonho answers quietly. 

 

“How?” Jihoon laughs incredulously.  Guanlin is doubling over in laughter at this point. 

 

Seonho looked from Guanlin to Jihoon with the warm smile on his face that they had grown to love so well, “It might be subtle at first, but the memories will flood back quickly if you keep reminding him of past lives or something. Just talk about places you’ve been or things you’ve done together.”

 

“How am I supposed to do that naturally?” Jihoon scoffed, “And how am I supposed to tell him that this awful disease is going away?”

 

“Tell him you lied after he remembers?” Seonho offered, “He’d understand at that point.”

 

“Maybe,” Jihoon chewed on his bottom lip. “I hope so.”

  
  


Jihoon never got that chance. Jihoon never got to let him know about his lies in this life, because unfortunately, bad luck would take over.

 

It would three months down the line, and Jihoon was happier than ever. Woojin was still in love with Jihoon and although Jihoon did have bad days of weakness, he was still alive. His body wasn’t used to living past here and Seonho was certain it was how he felt after Guanlin remembered. He told Jihoon it was like this for the first few years after they find out. He would be tired all the time and force himself to get up every day. 

 

Seonho’s random lives were always before Guanlin remembered, then afterwards, it’s always been when he remembers. It was almost as if the lives he lived were in sync with Guanlin so well that they knew what order to put Seonho’s lives in.

 

Jihoon was trying to do everything to get him to remember but nothing was working. They would skirt around the topic but Jihoon would end up having a rough day and it would end the conversation and he’d have to wait a week to recover from his bad days.

 

His downfall would be the end of this life, though. It wouldn’t be this life that Woojin would find out. He would have to redo all of his hard work the next life and probably the life after that and continuously until Woojin finally cracked open his head and let in the possibility that there was more than the life they were living at that exact moment.

 

Because a stupid cook in the kitchen would forget to watch the oil from the fried potatoes that were planned for breakfast and in turn, the kitchen would catch on fire, spreading to the dorms that were close by. 

 

“Jihoon, wake up,” Woojin woke him up, heat getting him to the point of alertness. Jihoon felt the panic rise up his body and he could barely breathe. 

 

“No,” Jihoon could see the orange hues around them and Woojin pushed him all the way up to head towards the door. They were both close enough to feel each other’s natural heat that was added on top of the fire’s heat already spreading within the room. The door’s handle was too hot. They were stuck within the room, flames licking upward through the door and catching onto everything around them. They backed up, their feet knocking into each other as they tried to escape from the heat.

 

“The window!” Woojin turned and he rushed towards the window of the room. Jihoon’s heart broke and he remembered trying to sneak out with Haknyeon one night through the window. They had both realized that it was bolted shut a bit too late and they collapsed onto their respective beds in defeat. This would ultimately in turn lead them to sneaking out of their room and out from the common room window but that was too far away and fire was in between the two areas now.

 

“The windows are bolted shut!” Jihoon shook his head. Woojin turned as he tried to pry it open and panic was in his eyes. This was not okay. Woojin’s eyes were never meant to look empty and devoid as he slowly realized the two of them were likely to die in that room. Jihoon couldn’t breathe, and he wanted to move to Woojin and hold him.

 

So he did. 

 

He rushed to Woojin and he pushed him back down on their bed, gripping him in a protective style, “This is the end, Woojin.”

 

“No. You’ve overcome so much,” Woojin gripped him tightly, “Jihoon, no.”

 

“Don’t worry,” Jihoon laughed bitterly, “We’ll be okay.”

 

“Jihoon,” Woojin held onto him. They could both feel the flames climbing higher and Jihoon felt his head go light. Before he could pass out from lack of oxygen, Jihoon pulled Woojin close, kissing him softly. This was the end; Woojin was crying and Jihoon was trying as hard as he could to remember how Woojin felt in his arms. 

 

The last thing that Jihoon could remember of that moment was Woojin whispering “I love you” and Jihoon whispering it back as the flames grew higher, engulfing them together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if ya'll haven't caught they're gonna die at the end of every chapter lmao ANYWAYs i'm sorry if any of this was confusing or too angsty or too slowly built but the end result will be worth it
> 
> I love each character so much and i'm putting so much into every one so I hope you guys can tell but anyways
> 
> i'm on twitter ((@spookyjisungs)) so please dear god yell at me if you want :)


	3. Surge Into My Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If Woojin could describe this moment in just a few words, he would use bliss, happiness, warmth, and Jihoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the wait!! it’ll be worth it though i promise!!

“Woojin.”

The voice was soft at first, a bit deeper than Daehwi’s but softer than Youngmin’s. Woojin turned in his bed, trying to find where he could be most comfortable. The voice seemed to fade in and out as he fell deeper into sleep. Just as he started to go deeper into his sleep, he jumped again.

“Woojin. Wake up.” 

“Hello?” Woojin shot up, his eyes glancing around the empty room. Nobody was around him, nor was there anybody in the room next to him. He was alone in a studio apartment, lights off. He looked to the left, out his window and looked around the fire escape of his apartment. Nobody was there either. 

Creeped out, but still tired, Woojin laid down again, his eyes drifting closed in a slow and meticulous way. The lights around him were still dim from his TV flickering in the distance. He may have already moved out from his mom’s, but he still hated living alone. The silence and the sense that somebody was always watching him haunted Woojin. His heart raced anytime he was alone. That’s why everybody always conjoined at Woojin’s. Whenever Daehwi had a bad day, the older ones of their foursome would meet up before he got out from school. Donghyun would bring the snacks, Youngmin would bring something to watch, and Woojin… well Woojin would just be there. This happened for no matter who was upset generally. 

Woojin would have to call another one of those meetings once the other three woke up. This was the first time he had heard voices in his own apartment, nonetheless that the owner of the voice knew his name.

Once Woojin was able to slowly fall asleep again, the voice came back. This time, however, it invaded his dream.

_ Woojin sat up, his eyes adjusting to the small room around him. There were two beds parallel to each other against the walls. Nobody was in the other bed but when he looked down, there was a smaller person next to him. They looked almost frail and sickly. The walls burned a bright white against the flickering candles hanging above them. The moon shone brightly through the window as Woojin tried to figure out where he was. _

_ “Woojin,” the same voice spoke again and Woojin’s skin crawled. He was almost certain he was familiar with this voice… like he had heard it for years. _

_ “Yes?” he responded without thought. “How can I help you?” _

_ “I need water,” the person asked. Woojin started to move without a conscious thought. If he could describe it, it was like his mind was replaying a memory for him. There were lights shining brightly in the hall as he moved through them but he couldn’t feel their heat or register where they were coming from. The feeling of the floor didn’t come to him as he walked around, like he was almost floating. He could hear faint sounds coming from each room he passed, but he couldn’t recognize any noise or voice at all.  _

_ Once he reached what he assumed was a common room, he filled a glass with water and turned to head back to the room he was in before. From his surroundings, it looked as if he was in a dorm hall, but everything felt dated, as if it was years before.  _

_ He returned to the room and his head surged as he looked at the sleeping figure that spoke earlier. “Your water.” _

_ “Thank you, Woojin,” they turned over and Woojin’s breath left his metaphorical body. The boy in front of him looked about his age and had messed up, mused hair that Woojin wanted to run his hands through. His brown eyes seemed to stare straight into Woojin’s soul, into his brain, and read every single one of his thoughts. They were clouded with stars and a sky that Woojin had never seen before. He bit the bottom of his lip, and Woojin noticed how chapped they were. He stumbled as he tried to rush the water closer to him. He had to be really dehydrated to have lips that chapped.  _

_ Whoever he was, Woojin was blessed to be so close to him. _

_ If he didn’t know any better, Woojin would sell all of his belongings to the boy if he asked. While the boy drank, he just stared at him as if he would disappear if he looked away. Woojin swallowed, trying to remember the last time he saw somebody so effortlessly beautiful.  _

_ “What are you looking at, Woojin?” the boy asked, and Woojin couldn’t help but laugh at the sound of his name escaping the boy’s lips. _

_ “You,” he answered honestly, “You just look really beautiful.” _

_ “Woojin,” the boy blushed, and Woojin fell in love with the color of pink that crept across his cheeks. He looked down in disbelief; that somebody could be that beautiful. When he finally looked back up, the boy looked uncomfortable. _

_ “What’s wrong?” Woojin asked. _

_ “It’s really hot in here. I feel like I’m on fire,” the boy fanned his face and when Woojin looked around the room, it was springing to life in flames. Every inch of the walls were burning and smoke clouded the top of the ceiling. Woojin snapped back to the boy and before him where he should’ve been, there was nobody. Instead, Woojin was now surrounded by ashes everywhere. If he focused solely on the floor, he could see the remnants of the baseboards. There was nothing left of the room, of the boy, of the building. _

_ -x- _

“How many dreams have you had this month about this boy, Woojin?” Donghyun asked, sitting himself next to Woojin on the bed.

“Five?” Woojin ran a hand through his hair, which was a mess on his head.

“That’s two more than last month,” Youngmin twirled around in Woojin’s chair. Daehwi moved to Woojin’s stereo, sliding in a tape and playing something in the background quietly. It was one of the tapes from their favorite local band in Chicago, and Woojin let a small smile grace his face. Daehwi always knew what to play for Woojin to calm down. Even if it was a recurring dream, he still felt weird after he woke up from each one. 

It always included that voice. It always included the beautiful boy. It always included that boarding school and Woojin was sick of it. He wanted to know the reason behind all of it. 

“Maybe Donghyun could draw who you’re seeing,” Daehwi shrugged, his eyes glancing over to the newspaper he brought over this morning. The words  _ ‘Another College Student Missing From Boystown’  _ were sprawled across the top. Donghyun nodded as he moved to grab his sketchbook from his bag. Woojin sighed, the thought of describing this guy without sounding… completely and totally in love with him was  _ not _ something he was looking forward to.

“It’s fine Woojin. Go ahead,” Donghyun encouraged him, as he pulled out his pack of pencils and colors. Woojin didn’t want to get that serious with the entire drawing but if Donghyun was prepared, then maybe he should at least try.

“He’s got, like, ugh,” Woojin closed his eyes and leaned his head back, trying to pull forth all memories of the boy, “He’s got like these full lips, and his eyes are so deep and entrancing. You can’t, just I don’t know,  _ not  _ look into them.”

“That’s a double negative,” Daehwi pointed out.

“You’re a double negative,” Woojin pouted and opened his eyes to throw a pillow at Daehwi.

“Start with his lips again, Woojin. Give me details. The shape of them, the color, are they chapped?” Donghyun asked, his pencil still hovering over the paper. 

“Yes!” Woojin leaned up excitedly, “He’s got really chapped lips. No matter what we’re doing in my dream, his lips are really chapped. They’re full, almost like Daehwi’s but a little less. They’re also really pink. But they fade out.”

Donghyun went silent for a moment, starting to sketch something out. “Are they more heart shaped or do they kind of pull out a bit?”

“In between? I guess?” Woojin scratched the back of his neck, his eyes scrunching up as he leaned into the wall by his bed a bit. He watched Donghyun fix the shape a bit, “Yes! Like that!”

“Okay, what about his nose?” Donghyun asked next. They worked like that for a bit, going from one feature of his face to the next. They spent most of their free day like that, and before they knew it, they had most of his face drawn out.

“His eyes are wrong,” Woojin shook his head, “His eyes are full, lively. They’ve seen a lot.”

“So wise almost?” Donghyun added a few more details to the color of his eyes before changing the shape a bit.

Woojin nodded but then tilted his head sideways, “Not only wise, but older. Like, he’s lived for a long time.”

Daehwi snorted, “He looks our age. How has he lived for a long time?”

“It’s just a dream, Daehwi. This guy doesn’t actually exist,” Woojin deadpanned.

Daehwi gave him a sardonic look and let out an exasperated sigh, “You can’t just make up a person in your dreams, Woojin. Your brain isn’t capable to come up with a face with  _ that  _ many details.”

“What do you mean?” Woojin squinted at Daehwi.

“When you dream of somebody and they have solid facial features, it means you’ve met them before. You had to have seen them somewhere to know what they look like and how they make certain faces,” Daehwi pursed his lips, “You’ve met this guy somewhere.”

As soon as Daehwi finished talking, Donghyun lifted the drawing up and Woojin’s breath left his body. He knew that Donghyun was a good artist, almost scarily good, but he never expected the older to be able to capture the boy of his dreams so perfectly. There was a glint in the eyes that Donghyun had even added in that Woojin could’ve sworn was a replica of the moment when he called him beautiful. 

“Woojin, you’re checking out a drawing,” Youngmin stifled a laugh and Woojin turned away as he felt his face turn hot.

“Who is this guy?” Daehwi leaned over as Donghyun started working on the details and Woojin could swear he could hear the beating of his heart fly into his brain as he added a bit more color to his lips. Yeah, he was screwed.

_ -x- _

The good thing about working in one of the bars in Boystown was that Woojin was able to get word of different music shows and festivals a lot of the crowd wanted to attend in a few days. His boss gave him inside info about different places that were putting on a show of his and his friend’s favorite band or other related acts. Once Woojin got wind of the shows, he would find the other three in his group, and they would be off, ready to party the night away.

Although Woojin worked in a bar, he didn’t drink. He  _ hated  _ drinking. In fact, being drunk gave him a weird feeling of nostalgia over things that didn’t make sense for him to be nostalgic for. There was one time he, Daehwi, and Donghyun had gotten drunk and Woojin started crying about how he wished he could go through a maze again. When they sobered up the next morning and Donghyun asked about what mazes Woojin had gone through, he freaked out because never once in his life had he been through a maze.

That being said, he still liked to party once in awhile, even if that included drinking and smoking a little bit of weed. It always depended on the festival and what bands were playing. 

The particular festival that changed Woojin’s life happened to be a local Chicago festival, playing in Hoffman Estates that would highlight all of Chicago’s best bands, including  _ The Surge. _

When Woojin first saw  _ The Surge  _ perform, he fell absolutely in love. Their style of music was as if  _ Duran Duran _ and Bon Jovi meshed with  _ The Clash  _ in an absolutely wonderful, beautiful way. Woojin felt his entire being ascend to another plane of existence when he would listen to  _ The Surge, _ but the lead singer—a tall brunette whose eyes could pierce any soul—had a voice that pulled him down to the ground. 

He was at work when they performed in the bar in Boystown, a smaller but growing place with a taste of local music mixed with local beers. Woojin had rushed back to his friends and told them all about  _ The Surge _ . It wasn’t long until they were finding tapes of theirs at local record shops and going to shows just to listen to them perform. 

_ The Surge  _ became their band. It was a staple in their friendship. Happy moments were filled with their best songs and sad moments were filled with only one song.  _ The Surge _ released a song called “Bright and Dark”. 

In it, the lead singer weaves a tale of two lovers who died before they could tell each other the truth. The dark one, the one who was scared of loving the other one, ran away and died from starvation. The bright one, the one who was oblivious of any reason that they shouldn’t love each other, died from a heartbreak. The acoustic background-compared to their regular sound-added to the melancholy storyline. 

Each member of their small group could relate on some aspect to the song. It was obvious their own sexual orientation was different that what society called the normal. Youngmin was the first to really bring it up when he introduced his first boyfriend back when they were fifteen. That’s how Daehwi and Woojin met Donghyun, the smiley, awkward, yet caring boy who doted on Youngmin more than the other two. They were joined at the hip, still were, but moreso then when their honeymoon phase was at its peak and the only time they could be together without prying eyes was when they were all circled around a record player in Woojin’s basement. 

Woojin’s mom didn’t mind anything about what he did. To the outside eye, she looked neglectful, letting her son do whatever he wanted with whoever he wanted, but to him, she was the perfect mom. She gave him his space but still demanded he talk to her at some point in the day to keep her updated. When he told his mom he was gay, she just told him that she knew. She always knew and she didn’t care.

So Woojin’s house became the safe house. When Donghyun’s parents tried to set him up with their preacher’s daughter, he fled to Woojin’s house, hiding there until his parents got the hint to leave his son’s love affairs alone. When Youngmin’s mom kicked him out after finding out he was bisexual, he stayed with Woojin until he could get a job and move out on his own. Daehwi occasionally stayed there when his own mother would be out working late. There wasn’t much he could do when they just showed up and his own mother was welcoming them in with open arms. He didn’t mind it, and the stigma just followed to his own apartment.

He had moved out when he was seventeen, getting the apartment in his mother’s name so he could be by himself for once. He still worked and paid his own bills but his mother understood his craving for independence. He would always  _ need  _ his mother but for now, she knew it was his time to go.

Daehwi and Woojin had met when they were both five years old in kindergarten. They were both sat at the back of the class and since they were the only ones in the final row, they were able to grow closer. Ultimately, they bonded over being the only kids in the class who only had one parent. Woojin felt so close to the slightly younger and stuck to him like glue. Their dynamic worked. Daehwi was slightly extroverted as he loved talking to almost everybody. Woojin was the exact opposite. He remained inward and let Daehwi do all the talking where necessary. As they grew up, he was able to open up a bit more, but in the end it was still Daehwi who did most of the communication for the two.

Youngmin came later. When they finally graduated from elementary school, they had to go to a different school than the rest of their classmates because of changing district lines. They only knew each other, and unfortunately, that meant they were the weird new kids who only talked to each other.

Daehwi joined the school’s choir club while Woojin stayed behind and waited for him to finish his after school activities. He noticed Youngmin would be waiting for somebody as well. This time he was the one who reached out, surprising Daehwi and himself. They became fast friends, talking everyday after school while they waited for Daehwi and Youngmin’s younger brother. 

Shortly after that came Donghyun and the foursome became solidified. 

_ -x- _

Daehwi was the first one that Woojin found after he found out about the festival. His boss had told him about it, gave him four tickets, and gave Woojin permission to use his own van to drive to the festival in Hoffman Estates. So naturally, right after work, Woojin met up with the younger at a local arcade that they frequented.

“Daehwi,” Woojin ran up to him, disrupting him on some game. The younger glared and nudged him to continue while he kept playing, “So guess who just got four tickets to the Chicago Native Festival  _ and  _ gets to borrow his boss’s van to get us there?”

Daehwi stopped playing, “Chicago Native Festival as in the one  _ The Surge  _ are headlining? That festival?”

“The very one,” Woojin pulled the tickets out of his leather jacket pocket and waved them in front of his friend’s face. “It’s tomorrow night.”

“You’re shitting me,” Daehwi snatched away one of the tickets and laughed, “This is really happening. I love your boss.”

“He’s a great man,” Woojin nodded and grabbed the ticket back. “Come on. Youngmin and Donghyun are coming over and I want to give them the good news.”

They left the arcade in a hurry, almost leaving Daehwi’s backpack behind. Once they made sure they had everything, Woojin got on his skateboard while Daehwi biked behind him. They weaved through the small crowds of people that seemed to get in their way.

Once at Woojin’s apartment, they waited outside for a couple of minutes, passing a cigarette back and forth as they kept an eye out for the two love birds. It wouldn’t be long until the bright smiles and entranced eyes were in front of them, shoving each other playfully. Woojin and Daehwi fake vomited as they opened the front door to Woojin’s apartment building, racing up the stairs with the couple behind them.

“What’s got you two in such a good mood?” Youngmin asked, sitting on Woojin’s couch, Donghyun sliding in next to him.

“If you two are done being gross, here,” Woojin handed him the tickets and slapped the spare keys to his boss’s van on the kitchen counter next to him.

“Is this—” Youngmin deadpanned.

“Yep,” Woojin interrupted, “Call in for work tomorrow, Youngmin. We’re seeing  _ The Surge  _ again.”

“I think I love you, Park Woojin,” Youngmin laughed.

“Hey,” Donghyun pouted, “What about me?”

“Oh hush, Donghyun. You know he loves you the most,” Daehwi rolled his eyes playfully. They continued to bicker while Woojin looked over his apartment. This was his home, his safety. His friends were ones he wanted for decades to come. He was truly happy.

_ -x- _

_ “Woojin,” the soft voice whispered, and Woojin stirred. This time he was laying in a giant field, tall green hedges just to the right of him. The boy was hovering over him and tucking a piece of hair behind his ear. Woojin smiled. This was a sight he could definitely get used to.  _

_ “Hi,” Woojin whispered, his eyes glancing over the soft features of the boy’s face. He reached out, touching the boy’s cheek in an adoring motion. _

_ “Woojin, they might see,” the other shied away and looked over at the two of guards dressed in armor just a couple hundred feet away from them. Woojin sighed, letting his hand fall to his chest.  _

_ “I don’t care if they see,” Woojin wanted him closer, needed him as close as he could get him. _

_ “Well,” the boy sat up, his eyes going to the guards, “As your prince, I order you to hold back.” _

_ “Yes, Your Majesty,” Woojin grinned, his eyes going to the boy’s and tangling his fingers with his. He hid their conjoined hands between their bodies as he sat up as well. If this was all he was going to get, this was all he was going to take. _

_ “But if we went into the maze _ ... _ ” the boy smiled and Woojin faltered for a minute. Maze? _

_ “Oh,” he snapped his head up as if he remembered this was all a dream and his real life wasn’t here in this moment. _

_ “Do you want to?” the boy licked his chapped lips and Woojin nodded feverently. They stood and Woojin followed as the boy started through the confusing maze. “Are you feeling okay, Woojin?” _

_ “I feel like I’m just escaping away to be with you at this point,” Woojin sighed, running a hand through his messy hair. “I just want to be around you all the time.” _

_ “You sure do know how to flatter someone,” the boy let out a loud laugh and Woojin’s heart jumped to his throat. Even his laugh was a beautiful sound.  _

_ “We’re alone now,” Woojin stopped and grabbed the boy’s hand again.  _

_ “That we are,” he smiled and stepped closer to Woojin. They were inches apart, their eyes roaming the other’s face. _

_ “Can I kiss you?” Woojin asked, focusing on the chapped lips he had grown to love so much. _

_ “You never have to ask,” the boy nodded and Woojin leaned forward. Before he met his lips, he opened his eyes to get a final glance at the boy. When he saw the blood trickle from the boy’s lips, he jumped back, his back hitting the hedge behind him. Blood was trickling from a wound in his stomach and Woojin watched the white fabric of his shirt stain in blood. The boy made a choking noise and more blood sprung from his mouth.  _

_ Woojin could only stand and watch as the other died in front of him.  _

_ -x- _

“Wake up!” Daehwi groaned above him and shoved Woojin’s arm slightly. The older sprung up and looked around, adjusting to being back in August of 1984. He could still feel the boy’s hand in his and he had to blink several times to get the image of him bleeding to death away.

“Are we there?” Woojin asked, his voice hoarse from the sleep fueled haze.

“Yeah, dumbass. The drive is only, like, forty minutes, and you slept the entire time,” Youngmin glared from the front seat. “You’re driving on the way back.”

“Deal,” Woojin nodded. They pulled into the giant parking field that was designated solely for the event and got out, ready for the small festival. Woojin led them to the main ticketing booth where they handed the person up front their four tickets and in turn got wristbands for the festival grounds. In the middle of the entire festival was an amphitheatre surrounded by two other small stages set up by the the festival.  _ The Surge  _ wouldn’t be playing until later that night so they had all day to party and enjoy other bands who came to play at the festival.

A couple of hours into the day, Woojin was already ready for  _ The Surge  _ to start playing. He had heard every rendition of When Doves Cry from every kind of cover band and he was starting to get sick of it, honestly. He excused himself to the bathroom and found a small concession stand afterwards. About two minutes into a hot dog, Daehwi was pulling him by the shirt, announcing he  _ had  _ to see something.

“Daehwi, if I drop my hotdog because you’re freaking out over somebody doing a cover of Time After Time, I will shove you into the port-a-potty,” Woojin threatened.

“No, dumbass, look,” Daehwi pointed up towards the main amphitheatre stage. Woojin followed to where he was pointing and there on the bass was literally  _ the boy _ . Some over the top band was playing a slowed down version of Footloose and the bassist was the same boy with chapped lips and wise, old eyes.

“What the fuck,” Woojin squinted. 

“Is that him?” Daehwi looked giddy and Woojin wanted to be annoyed at how much he was enjoying Woojin internally freak out.

“Um,” Woojin nodded slowly, “Yeah.”

“First of all, what is he wearing?” Daehwi let out a loud laugh, “Youngmin! Donghyun! Come here!”

Woojin had to agree with Daehwi that the other’s outfit was a bit outrageous. He had on tight leather pants that showed off every inch of his legs. His large and bright neon pink shirt clashed with his neon orange combat boots. On top of that, he had green shoelaces and a checkered headband. He looked like every form of weird that Woojin tended to avoid.

“Is that who I think it is?” Donghyun tilted his head and slung his backpack over his shoulder. He pulled out his sketchbook and opened it up to the page of the drawing they did a couple of weeks back. “Holy shit.”

He tore out the page and handed it to Youngmin who held it up to visually see the drawing and the real life version of it side by side, “Oh my god Donghyun. You got him perfectly.”

“Thanks,” Donghyun blushed and Daehwi stomped his foot, “What’s up with you, Princess?”

“Can you two not see what’s happening? Woojin’s dream boy is literally right in front of us!” Daehwi groaned, “We have to make sure we meet him.”

“NO!” Woojin spoke for the first time since identifying the boy.

“You’re talking to him,” Daehwi crossed his arms, “You have to at least see where the fuck you’ve met him before.”

“I’m doing no such thing,” Woojin turned away, unable to look anymore and headed back to the concession stand. There was no absolute reason why he didn’t want to go over to the boy. Logically, he could’ve just asked him if they had met before and if they hadn’t, he could’ve left it at that. There was nothing wrong with that. At all. Not at all.

So why was Woojin freaking out? He knew that Daehwi would ignore him and go to the boy to bring him over to Woojin so he had probably about three minutes after their set ended to prepare.

So he prepared.

“Can I get two shots of your cheapest vodka?” Woojin asked the concession stand employee and gave them his fake ID. They slid him the shots after he handed them a five and he slammed it back, ordering a beer right away. 

Twenty minutes later, Daehwi was pulling the boy across the lawn and Woojin was a little tipsy, heading towards drunk. 

He could hazily see that Daehwi was talking avidly with the boy, his eyes lively as Donghyun and Youngmin followed behind slowly. Woojin took a deep breath and finished his beer, letting his head sway slowly along with whatever band was playing now.

“Hey!” Daehwi waved excitedly, “This is Jihoon!”

Jihoon.

The name fit him. His soft features were adorned by the new label as Woojin got a glimpse of the  _ real  _ boy of his dreams. He didn’t respond so Daehwi kept talking but Woojin tuned him out. There was a way that  _ Jihoon  _ was staring at him that made Woojin weak in the knees and a little woozy in his stance. He met his stare, and grappled on the way that Jihoon was watching him.

“Are you okay?” he finally addressed Woojin and moved to grab his arm.

“Has he been drinking?” Donghyun finally spoke up and moved forward to grab Woojin’s other arm. The two of them led him to a secluded part of the field to sit him down. They all crowded around him as his eyes tried to focus on any of them.

“He doesn’t usually drink so he’s a huge lightweight,” Daehwi kept talking and Woojin wanted to shut him up more than ever.

Jihoon laughed and Woojin could feel flowers blooming in his chest from how warm the sound was, “It’s fine.”

“Jihoon,” Woojin slurred out and the boy looked at Woojin with such eyes that Woojin felt as if they had known each other for years. Jihoon’s eyes bore into Woojin’s and he could count each star in them. His eyes were constellations that connected each part of Woojin’s life leading up to this moment. His dark irises reflected the way the world moved around the two of them and for a solid second, it was just them.

“Ah, I don’t know your name.” Jihoon blushed under Woojin’s sudden intense stare.

“It’s Woojin,” Daehwi interjected again and Youngmin elbowed him in the ribs, “Ow!”

“Shut up for once, Daehwi,” Youngmin glared and Daehwi rubbed his ribs in consolation. The five of them sat in silence for a minute before Woojin tried to move.

“Oh no, you’re not moving,” Jihoon pushed him down again and Woojin felt a surge of rebellion. He pushed back up again and tried to stand. Jihoon let him this time and as Woojin lost balance, he placed a hand on his back, stabilizing him. “See? Don’t move.”

“I’m gonna go get him some water,” Donghyun sighed.

Youngmin grabbed onto Daehwi’s arm and started to pull him after Donghyun, “We’ll go with you.”

Now it was just Jihoon and Woojin. They stood there awkwardly as Woojin stared at Jihoon, studying his face. Jihoon sat Woojin down again, but still kept a hand on him, steadying his back. “One drink and you’re this drunk?”

“I had some shots and some vodka,” Woojin smiled warmly, “I don’t like to drink. It makes me remember things that didn’t happen.”

“What?” Jihoon laughed, “How do you remember things that didn’t happen?”

Woojin took a deep breath and leaned back to lay down on the grass, trapping part of Jihoon’s arm underneath him, “Last time I drank, I remembered a maze. I don’t know why. I’ve never been to a maze before.” When Woojin looked up at Jihoon’s face, a flash of a memory traveled through his eyes before he swallowed it down and laughed at the other. “Don’t laugh. It’s weird.”

“It is,” Jihoon laughed again and Woojin loved how easy it was to make the other laugh, “That’s why I’m laughing.”

“You were there,” Woojin can’t stop talking, “Have we met before?”

“I don’t think so. But I play at these festivals all the time. Maybe you’ve seen me before,” Jihoon swallowed and Woojin didn’t miss the way his face seemed more stonelike now.

“No, I would’ve remembered your face,” Woojin let slip.

Jihoon blushed, “What do you mean by that?”

“Just that you have a nice face,” Woojin chuckled more to himself than anything. “I dream about you a lot.”

“You’re really drunk,” Jihoon barked out a quick laugh and tried to free his arm but Woojin was too heavy on top of it.

“Ask the three stooges. They know about how much I talk about you. It’s nice to know your name now, though,” Woojin laughed and he could feel Jihoon’s stare on him. He didn’t care as he looked up at the orange sky. The sun was setting behind them and Woojin knew he’d be asleep soon.

“Woojin,” Jihoon sighed, “If only you knew how much that meant to me.”

Within seconds, Donghyun was back over by them and was helping Woojin sit up so he could take a drink of water. “Drink.”

Jihoon freed himself and backed away a few steps watching the other three dote over his friend. Woojin kept his eyes on Jihoon, making sure he didn’t disappear again. As soon as he had drank the entire glass of water, he nodded his head and stood up, a bit more steady on his feet. 

“Show him the drawing,” he muttered to Donghyun. The older hesitated before Woojin nodded again reassuringly. He pulled it out of his backpack, handing it to Jihoon. The other boy grimaced as he took the paper, unfolding it slowly. There was a beat of silence before Jihoon looked at it.

“This is—” Jihoon’s eyebrows furrowed.

“You,” Woojin nodded. “It’s you.”

“Where—” Jihoon tried to talk again, “Who? How?”

“I told you,” Woojin swallowed and tried to steady his breathing and speech, “I’ve dreamt of you. I want to know why. Who are you?”

The other three stood awkwardly between the two as Woojin’s eyes pierced through to Jihoon’s. Jihoon stared back, confusion lacing between the two of them as he tried to talk. “How would I know?”

“Maybe we should leave you two alone for this,” Donghyun pulled on Youngmin’s arm. Jihoon glanced at them pleadingly not to leave but they all stepped away. Daehwi lingered the longest, making sure Woojin could stay steady on his own two feet.

“If you need me, I’ll be over there,” he told Woojin as he trailed behind the other two. Woojin nodded and his friend departed, leaving it just between Jihoon and himself.

“Who are you?” Woojin spoke again, this time taking a step towards the other, “I don’t even need an explanation. I just need to know who you are.”

Jihoon let out a long breath and grabbed Woojin’s hand to lead them to a more secluded area. There were a few picnic tables laid out near the back of the festival. He sat Woojin at one of them and paced in front of him for a moment, “I’m Park Jihoon. That’s it. Just a guy in a band. I’m sure you’ve just seen me around here and—” 

“And what? Subconsciously dreamt of you because I saw your face in a crowd and thought you were attractive?” Woojin scoffed, “Like I said, I would’ve remembered your face.”

“Are you sure about that?” Jihoon grimaced and crossed his arms. “Do you have like a super memory or something?”

“I pride myself on having a good memory, yes,” Woojin nodded and Jihoon laughed as if that was the funniest thing in the entire world. “What?”

“Nothing,” Jihoon shook his head.

“Nevermind, I don’t like you anymore.”

“So you like me?” Jihoon smirked.

“Not anymore.” Woojin turned around and faced the table, leaning down to put his head on top of his crossed arms.

“Stay here,” Jihoon instructed. Woojin did as he was told, not because of what Jihoon had said, but because if he moved, his head would probably catch up with the alcohol he ingested earlier and he would get even more drunk than he still was now. When Jihoon returned, he had three beers in front of him. Woojin groaned and shook his head. “Not for you. For me. If this is going to be a fair conversation, then I need to be just as drunk as you are.”

“Fair conversation?” Woojin slurred and the alcohol was definitely going to his head. “By the way, I didn’t drink  _ just  _ beer. I had a couple shots too.”

“Were you trying to kill yourself?” Jihoon scoffed and grimaced right afterwards.

“Why are you doing that?” Woojin waved his hand around and leaned forward.

“Doing what?” Jihoon sighed.

“Caring,” Woojin bit his bottom lip in concentration. Jihoon watched Woojin’s actions with a face of uncertainty. Thoughts flew by in his eyes but Woojin couldn’t catch any of them as he stared into the endless mirrors that never left his own.

“This isn’t me caring,” Jihoon finally broke away, chugging a beer. Before he could object, Woojin snagged one of his other beers and started drinking from it. “Hey!”

“If I have two beers, and you have two beers, then all you have to do is have a couple shots .Then we’re even,” Woojin smirked, “Didn’t you say you wanted to have a fair conversation?”

Jihoon laughed bitterly and nodded finally. He downed his two beers in silence as Woojin nursed his cup of beer. The plastic cup felt almost foreign in his hands. He wanted to forget this entire moment was happening but there  _ he  _ was. 

In all of the excitement he almost forgot that his voice was the same too. 

“If I just saw you in a crowd, then how did I know what your voice sounded like too?” Woojin’s eyebrows were scrunched and when he looked up at Jihoon the other mirrored his expression.

“Y-you knew what my voice sounded like?” Jihoon asked, his face slightly paler than before.

“I heard it every night that I dreamed about you,” Woojin’s face felt red, “I-I didn’t dream about you every night, I promise.”

“If you’re trying to sound less creepy, you failed,” Jihoon laughed. “Let me go grab those shots real quick.”

Jihoon got up and if Woojin was wise, he would get up and leave before Jihoon got back. But he wasn’t and he was definitely more drunk now after his second beer. By the time that Jihoon got back, Woojin was on the edge of slightly drunk and totally plastered. Instead of sitting across from Woojin, he sat next to him this time. Their thighs were touching, a burn erupting across Woojin’s skin from how close they were. He watched Jihoon close his eyes tightly and take a shot, his eyes watering at the bitter taste of the vodka without a chaser.

“You really took that like a champ,” Woojin smirked, his eyes following everyone of Jihoon’s movements.

“This isn’t my first time drinking. Unlike you,” Jihoon tipped his second shot in Woojin’s direction, “I’m not a lightweight.”

“Fuck you, Jihoon,” Woojin smiled, no actual bark in his teasing.

“Everybody wants to,” Jihoon laughed, taking the other shot in a blaze of movements that not only entranced Woojin but angered him in how effortlessly beautiful he was following those movements. “So. When did you start dreaming about me?”

Woojin tried to think back on the first time the other appeared in his dreams. It seemed like years ago, but he could still remember being entranced by a younger unfamiliar face in his dreams. It felt like it started when he first started remembering his dreams, “For as long as I can remember. You’ve always been like a passing face.”

“Until recently?” Jihoon raised an eyebrow, “You wouldn’t care about a passing face.”

Woojin’s face became clouded with confusion, “How do you know what I would care about?”

Jihoon backtracked for a second before stumbling over every word, his hands raised in a defensive way, “I-I just meant, like, fuck, Woojin. I just mean that you wouldn’t know enough to describe to your friend to draw me nor would you know what I sounded like if I was just a passing face.”

“Oh,” Woojin thought it over for a moment before laughing loudly. Jihoon slumped in relief as Woojin continued without another thought, “Yeah. Recently I started having dreams about this boarding school and you were there. But it always ends the same way.”

“How?” Jihoon looked terrified to hear the answer.

“You die in a fire,” Woojin could feel his blood boil in remembrance. “But, the weird part is, on the way here, I dreamed us somewhere else. We were in this maze and well, um. I don’t know how to put this.”

“What happened?” Jihoon looked so interested. “It’s just a dream, Woojin.”

“We were about to kiss, but you were bleeding and you just started coughing up blood and the next thing I knew, you were dying. But then I woke up,” Woojin rubbed the back of his head.

“Why am I always dying?” Jihoon scoffed, “That’s totally unfair.”

“I’m not controlling my dreams to do that!” Woojin rolled his eyes.

“I’m just saying. Like why can’t you die first sometimes?” Jihoon smirked, his eyes watching every one of Woojin’s moves yet again. Every time he started scrutinizing Woojin’s moves, he felt smaller under his heavy gaze.

“Next time I sleep, I’ll try that,” Woojin laughed, his head feeling a bit lighter now.

Jihoon looked down at Woojin’s drink and frowned, “You haven’t finished your beer yet.”

“I think I want to sober up so I can remember this,” Woojin squinted his eyes and looked over at Jihoon. His face was super close to his own and he sighed as he tried to imagine not being there in that exact moment.

“Woojin,” Jihoon muttered under his breath, “You’re really… something else.”

“I could say the same for you,” he nodded slowly. Jihoon’s face seemed even closer as Woojin looked down the shape of Jihoon’s lips. They seemed fuller than when they were in his dreams. “Can I ask something crazy?”

“This whole interaction has been crazy,” Jihoon nodded yes nonetheless.

“Can I kiss you?” and there went Woojin’s heart, beating like crazy.

“You’re drunk,” Jihoon laughed, still not pulling away.

“So are you,” Woojin pointed out, putting a hand around Jihoon’s waist and pulling him even closer. The other kept his breath steady as Woojin closed the gap between them, kissing softly at first but building up slowly as Jihoon pushed back more. The two of them stayed kissing like that, tasting the mix of beer and vodka on the other’s tongues. Pulling away periodically for breath and quick laughs, they got lost in their own world. Only when Daehwi’s voice broke them from their trance did Woojin realize how late it was.

“Woojin! Not to interrupt your little love fest here, but  _ The Surge _ are performing right now and we’ve got spots at the front,” he was suddenly standing right next to them, his hand pulling at Woojin’s shoulder.

“Come on!” Jihoon suddenly stood, pulling Woojin up with him. They followed Daehwi towards the front and squeezed in between bodies to get there. 

When  _ The Surge  _ finally came out, Woojin wasn’t watching them this time. He was watching Jihoon, his bright eyes and opened mouth in wonder. He decided then and there that love at first sight was real. Because from the moment he could remember seeing Jihoon,  _ he was in love _ .  
  


After the festival was over, Jihoon had to leave with his own band. Woojin didn’t want to let the other go, keeping a hold of him in anyway possible.

“Where do you live?” Woojin asked and he didn’t miss the way that Jihoon’s smile faltered. They were more sober, more sweaty, and more out of breath.

“Carbondale,” Jihoon grimaced. 

Woojin’s face fell, “That’s like five hours away.”

“With good traffic,” Jihoon nodded, “But I’ll be up here before school starts next month. We can meet up then.”

“Okay,” Woojin pulled Jihoon closer and kissed him again, “You won’t forget me?”

Jihoon looked up into Woojin’s eyes and could feel his entire heart burst, “Never.”

Some tall guy who Woojin remembered as the main guitarist of the band started to call for Jihoon to  _ hurry his ass up _ . Jihoon groaned, and Woojin pulled him in for one more, long kiss. They gripped at every point of contact they could before Woojin finally pulled away again, “When are we going to meet?”

“Don’t worry. I always find you,” Jihoon whispered between them before he pulled away, leaving a very confused, very in love, and very whipped Woojin.

_ -x- _

The feeling of fall passing was nerve wracking. He started attending his own classes at a nearby university and tried to stay out of trouble for the most part. He still worked at the bar and his college loans covered whatever bills he couldn’t for the most part. Every new customer and band that played, Woojin would look for Jihoon who would still plague his dreams.

Each dream was still just as gory as before, but instead of unknowns and uncertainties, Woojin knew his way around the maze and around the boarding school. He would talk to Jihoon as if they were aware of the real world and for a few months it felt like Jihoon would talk back to him as the Jihoon he actually met.

He didn’t find Jihoon at the start of the school season. In fact, it would take him all the way until November, just when Woojin officially turned eighteen for the other to appear. The four of the group were out celebrating his birthday at around two in the morning when they walked past a familiar newspaper stand who still had a few of the issues from the day before. Woojin stopped to look at the main title.

_ Seventh Boy To Go Missing In Boystown _ . 

“Did another one get taken?” Daehwi was suddenly behind Woojin and the older jumped.

“Shit, Daehwi,” Woojin clutched where his heart would be and took a deep breath before answering, “Yeah.”

“Do you think—” Daehwi started slowly and Woojin shook his head adamantly. “It could be why you haven’t seen him yet.”

“Or maybe it’s because Chicago is a big city and we didn’t set any specific plans to meet up,” Woojin turned to catch up with Youngmin and Donghyun who were still walking in front of him. “Also, I don’t want you to walk out in Boystown without one of us, understood? It’s bad enough that this place is crawling with creepy, old white guys, but now somebody might be taking a bunch of them? I don’t feel safe with that.”

“I can take care of myself,” Daehwi scrunched his nose, “You should be the one worried.”

“Daehwi,” Woojin deadpanned and rolled his eyes, “You’re a twig. You could easily be snatched up.”

“I’m not worried about that,” he shook his head and pulled the leather jacket he was wearing tighter around himself.

“Is that my jacket?” Woojin glanced down, “You punk. Who said you could wear my leather jacket?”

“Yah! You borrow my stuff all the time,” Daehwi pouted and crossed his arms, “Besides, you’re wearing my shirt!”

“Am not!” Woojin’s jaw dropped in mock offense.

“Then where did you get it?” Daehwi quirked up an eyebrow.

“I got it at—” Woojin paused, “a store.”

“Exactly. It’s mine. It even has the same stain from some spaghetti I was eating,” Daehwi pointed down at the small red stain left on the bottom of the shirt.

“Guys,” Youngmin turned around, a hand pointing towards the front of a bar. “Isn’t that Jihoon?”

Woojin’s full attention turned towards the entry and sure enough, there was the same outrageously dressed, gorgeous, full lipped bastard who had avoided Woojin until this very moment. He pushed past his friends and walked almost angrily up to him. Jihoon didn’t notice him until he was standing directly in front of him, pushing him against the door frame in an possessive manner.

“Woojin?” Jihoon’s entire face lit up.

“What took you so damn long?” Woojin smiled, any resentment melting away.

“I got distracted,” Jihoon wrapped his arms around Woojin’s neck and although they could hear the familiar whistles and disgusted groans from Woojin’s friends, they kissed harshly underneath the lights of the bar and the sidewalk lamps, stuck between two sides of a door.

“You’re here now right? In the city?” Woojin asked breathlessly as they pulled away. Jihoon nodded and Woojin kissed him again, his lips crashing hungrily into Jihoon’s teeth. He paid no attention to it as they kissed as if they had no life in front of them, as if it was their last day. Woojin pulled away and laughed loudly in between them, “Do you know what today is?”

Jihoon looked as if he was about to say something but opted out, “No.”

“It’s my birthday. You’re literally my birthday present, you fucker,” Woojin kissed Jihoon again, tightening his grip on Jihoon as if he was going to disappear suddenly.

“Hey babe! I got your drink for you,” an unfamiliar voice was suddenly closing in on them and Woojin pulled away, looking up at a tall, dark haired kid who couldn’t be over the age of eighteen. Jihoon’s mouth fell open as if words were supposed to fall out but from the look on the kid’s face as he looked over at the two of them in the compromising position they were in, Woojin figured it out within seconds. 

“Distracted, huh?” Woojin chuckled bitterly. “Makes sense now.”

“Woojin, wait,” Jihoon breathed out exasperatedly.

“Nah,” Woojin shook his head, “I’ve done enough of that.”

Woojin pulled away from Jihoon and took off, ignoring Jihoon’s own cries of his name mixed in with his friends. He called a taxi, climbing in and rambling off his address, giving Jihoon no thought again for the rest of the night.

 

_ -x- _

_ “You hurt me,” Woojin scoffed, “Really bad.” _

_ “I can’t expect you to understand,” Jihoon frowned. “I really don’t know how to explain it to you other than I was tired of being hurt.” _

_ “So you decided to hurt me instead?” Woojin sped up his pace, leaving Jihoon behind in the maze. There was something different about this dream. It felt too lively, too real, and too damaging. _

_ “I always die first, Woojin,” Jihoon was suddenly in front of him and Woojin turned around again, trying to abandon the boy. _

_ “I always have to leave you first, even if it’s by seconds. It’s not fair,” Jihoon’s voice was close. _

_ “It’s not my fault!” Woojin screamed. Suddenly the hedges were on fire, heat rising quickly around Woojin. He started running now. _

_ “Then just remember, Woojin,” Jihoon was crying now. “Please. Just remember.” _

When Woojin woke up, his TV was running the same story on the newest serial killer in Chicago. Nine bodies had been found in the same part of the North Avenue beach waters, far enough out that somebody would have to be looking for something to find them. They were the same nine bodies that had gone missing in his neighborhood and he had never felt more nervous in his life. When the bodies were found, apparently the top portion of the body and bottom were separated and they were all missing their heads.

He leaned up, his eyes focused on the TV a bit more. A spokesperson from the FBI was in front of a press conference, the air about them seeming so much more calming than what Woojin was used to seeing from cops. Across the bottom of the screen a named rolled by,  _ Hwang Minhyun. Special Agent, FBI. _

“The discovery of these bodies is unsettling. There is no excuse to why these young men, aged from eighteen to twenty five, should be taken, no matter what their life was like beforehand. This is the work of serial killer and we will be treating it as such as we look for the one person who committed these heinous acts,” the agent spoke softly and calmly, “We are certain this man who committed these horrible crimes is in his early twenties and comes from a conservative home. His home life would’ve been a bit tougher than most and he most likely lives by himself or in a small apartment with a roommate. We believe he might be interested in men himself, and is lashing out on the gay community for the very thought he is disgusted in himself.”

Woojin flipped the TV off, too disgusted, too angry, and too scared to continue watching. The silence bore into his apartment, filling it and mixing with his thoughts. His mind wandered back to Jihoon yet again, giving him another gut wrenching feeling. 

After the night out, Daehwi had come over to Woojin’s apartment, feeding him comfort food and advice. He had told him to forget the boy and move on with his life. He would have a long time to fall in love with more people, and to live his full life.

Woojin wanted to believe that, he really did, but all he could think of was Jihoon. There was this feeling of undeniable connection. It was almost as if they could communicate through dreams, speaking their minds in worlds that didn’t exist. 

And sometimes Woojin would let himself die first. Sometimes he would try really hard to leave before Jihoon because the pain of seeing him was worse than dying. 

For some reason, it was like Woojin was used to the feeling of dying.

_ -x- _

_ The night wasn’t always as kind. It used to bring Mother’s harsh words and the Father’s blank stares as she disciplined him in her own ways. _

_ “You must understand that I’m doing this for your own good.” _

_ Understanding wasn’t as simple as she painted and he could only feel the burn of a whip against his back. _

_ “Father advised I get rid of the nasty evil within you. At such a young age too.” _

_ Evil didn’t feel like what he had inside of him. What he had inside felt like a childlike love and innocence. _

_ Evil felt like the cold sharp stare of his mother and the empty protection of the Father. _

_ “You should be lucky to have such a nice man as a role model. A nice, loving man who only shows affection to women. You, on the other hand, are nothing like the Father.” _

_ Now the night brings protection. Protection from being seen. Protection from being noticed from those he preys on. His latest target was a golden kissed young man, whose smile could light up the entire street on the darkest of nights. _

_ From his own apartment, he could see into the large window of the young man’s. Most days he was with his other three friends, but today, he was alone. He had been alone a lot lately, which meant he would be able to collect him soon. _

_ Soon, he would be another piece of his collection, and soon, he would be blessed with such golden skin up close. _

_ -x- _

It would take awhile for Woojin to get back up to a normal mood. Work had been slow so his stress levels seemed to dissipate slowly. He avoided sleeping so he could avoid seeing Jihoon for as long as possible, but even when he slept, his dreams of Jihoon were short and awkward. Neither of them talked much; and if they did, it was mostly Jihoon playing the part of whatever world they were in. Woojin was thankful for that and he tried not to focus too harshly on the fakeness in his voice as Jihoon rambled on about either palace duties or—if they were in the boarding school—homework and after school activities.

Regardless, they all felt familiar and like the world around them wasn’t just a dream. Every detail seemed familiar and every time Woojin tried to glance around, he felt a nagging feeling that he had  _ been there before _ , sometime in a previous life.

It would be months before Woojin would even see Jihoon again. 

This time, it was spring, and the weather was slowly warming up from the freezing winter they just encountered. There was a slight dip in rain and Woojin decided it was time to go to the store to stock up on some of his actual necessities instead of ordering pizza whenever he bothered to be hungry. He stepped outside of his apartment building and started in the direction of the nearest store. There was still about a mile away from the nearest store so he headed towards the bus stop he usually took to get there. He sat down on the bench, kicking at a few pebbles in front of him when he decided to look around him. He hadn’t even noticed somebody sitting next to him.

From the side, it looked like Jihoon. And Woojin couldn’t think properly enough to contemplate that maybe it was him, maybe it wasn’t, but either way, he stood up, the mile walk seeming welcoming to his tired legs. As soon as he did, the person next to him turned their head and he could see clearly that it wasn’t him.

He still took his leave, tired eyes and weary tears threatening to spill over.

_ -x- _

 

_ Up close, he was just as beautiful. This was the closest he had ever gotten to one of his collection before he’d taken them. He knew it was dangerous, but he needed to be sure he still wanted him. _

_ The answer was of course. He would always want somebody who looked like him. In fact, that’s how they all looked. Confident, independent, smooth. _

_ His eyes shone with the constellations of thousands of years and he wanted, no needed, to have those eyes constantly staring back at him. _

_ But as soon as he looked at him, he left, anger and disgust written on his face. _

_ Did he know? Could he guess the dirty little secret hiding under the skin of a killer? _

_ -x- _

“That’s it, we’re going out tonight,” Daehwi groaned as Woojin laid in bed, staring out his window. The older turned over and glared at him. “That glare won’t work, you bum. Get out of bed.”

“I thought I saw him today,” Woojin finally spoke.

“So let’s go out and forget he exists. You’ll have plenty more opportunities,” Daehwi dragged the blanket off his friend and started towards his closet to pick out an outfit, “There are tons of guys around here who are willing to choose you as their plaything for the night.”

“I don’t want to be a  _ plaything _ , Daehwi,” Woojin picked up a shirt that Daehwi threw in his direction and started to pull it on. “Just give me my jeans.”

“God, these have to be skin tight, Woojin. Can’t you wear something a bit more fitting?” Daehwi scrunched his nose at the only pair of jeans in Woojin’s closet. 

“Sorry,” Woojin smirked, taking them and sliding them on. “Is it cold out?”

“It’s April in Chicago. That’s the dumbest question you’ve ever asked me. Of course it’s fucking cold outside,” Daehwi crossed his arms and moved to the bathroom. “Do you have any cologne or anything? You smell like you haven’t showered in a week.”

“That’s probably because I haven’t,” Woojin called out.

“You’re disgusting,” Daehwi came back and dug out a bottle of his own cologne, spraying Woojin down with at least half of it.

“That cologne smells disgusting. Can we go now? I want to get this over with,” Woojin moved to slide on his shoes. Daehwi followed, putting his own jacket back on.

“I love how excited you are to hang out with me,” Daehwi rolled his eyes. “Let’s stop by Youngmin’s and see if the love birds are free to hang out.”

“Fine,” Woojin nodded, “And you’re forcing me to hang out. If I didn’t go along willingly, you’d drag me by my big toe.”

“Oh, definitely,” Daehwi laughed, winking at Woojin as he opened the door to his apartment. 

One thing Woojin was grateful for was Daehwi’s way of getting him to do things. If it wasn’t for his best friend, he would still be shelled up by himself. He knew how to deal with Woojin and his constant mood changes. They could joke and banter and insult each other back and forth; Woojin knew it would be all in good fun, because wherever he was, Daehwi was bound to follow shortly after. 

The bar the four of them ended up at was another bar owned by Woojin’s boss, so they were able to get in, no questions asked. Youngmin and Donghyun were already planning on going out so as soon as the two friends showed up at their door, they left immediately. As soon as they entered the bar, they got their own drinks and set up at a pool table, ready to start a two on two game. 

“How about Woojin and Youngmin are on a team and Donghyun and I are on a team? Switch things up for once?” Daehwi wiggled his shoulders for emphasis. Woojin only half shrugged as the other two parted slowly.

“You’re still going down, Daehwi,” Youngmin pointed a finger and laughed half heartedly, “Don’t expect me to go easy on Donghyun.”

“I didn’t know you could get so competitive when you aren’t attached to Donghyun’s hip,” Daehwi teased, “Finally some real competition.”

“Oh that’s it. I’m bringing out all of my tricks,” Youngmin scowled.

Woojin barked out a laugh, “What tricks? You suck.”

“Way to throw me under the bus,  _ partner _ ,” Youngmin gaped, handing a pool stick to Woojin. “For your information, I’m not that bad. Not as bad as Donghyun.”

“Wow, babe! Thanks for that!” Donghyun’s voice was full of honey and there was no venom in his soft smile. 

“Can we get started or are we all going to age right here just trash talking?” Daehwi groaned, setting up the cue ball. The three of them grumbled in response and they started their game shortly after. Youngmin and Woojin ended up being stripes right off the bat and they worked pretty well together going back and forth, getting a ball in almost every one of their turns. Contrary to what Youngmin said, Donghyun was fairly good and ended up carrying Daehwi for most of the game. 

“For somebody who talks a big game, you suck,” Donghyun groaned as Daehwi made the cue ball jump off the table for the third time in a row.

“I take full offense to that!” Daehwi grabbed one of their cups and slammed back the rest of a beer before Donghyun could stop him. “Maybe if I’m drunk I’ll be better.”

“Lee Daehwi! I swear on my life if you ever do that again I’ll send you to Woojin’s and put you in timeout,” Donghyun sprouted off the first threat he could fathom.

Woojin laughed, watching the two of them bicker about Daehwi’s underage drinking. He looked down at his own drink, noticing the bottom of the glass glaring up at him. He collected all the other empty glasses and made his way up to the bar, a smile on his face for the first time in a while.

“Woojin?” 

And it was like he was dreaming all over again.

The same voice that plagued his dreams, that plagued all of his thoughts, was ringing in his ear beside him. He tried not to turn, to ignore the way there was light of hope in the way he said his name. Like he wanted it to be him for once. 

When he finally turned, his constellation-filled eyes met Woojin’s and he lost all resolve. He melted underneath his stare and it was like no matter what, Woojin would always melt under his stare.

“Jihoon.”

The other breathed out a sigh of relief and greeted him with a bright smile, “We need to talk.”

Talking meant going outside, which meant Woojin’s friends had to see that Jihoon was among them. Daehwi looked in between pissed and exhausted. For once, Woojin didn’t blame his eccentric friend’s reaction. Even Donghyun looked worried.

“We’ll be here,” he muttered to Woojin after he told them where the two of them were going.

“I’ll just be right outside. Promise,” Woojin nodded and turned back to Jihoon. His hands were in his pockets, eyes avoiding all of the others. He followed Woojin outside and towards the alleyway between the bar and the diner next door, breath bated in the air as they stood alone.

“Explain,” Woojin could only let out the one word, his eyes focused on the cracks in the concrete below them.

“When you saw me, I know it looked like I was with somebody else,” Jihoon let out a slow, drawn out breath and it caused Woojin to look up. Jihoon’s eyes were brimming with tears and Woojin wanted to wipe them away instantly. He held back, the thought of somebody else being with Jihoon soul crushing to him. “I wasn’t with him. I promise.”

A breath of relief filled the air, “Okay.”

“But I was scared. To meet you,” Jihoon kept talking before he could gauge Woojin’s reactions, “Because the festival was a lot. We just met, but I knew, like deep down, that I wanted to be near you.”

“I feel like I know you more than just because of the festival,” Woojin interjected, “I know I have these dreams and it might just be me going crazy, but I feel like in those dreams I get to spend time with  _ you _ . The real you.”

Jihoon let out a deep breath and blinked away a few tears, “God, Woojin. No matter where we are, I think I’ll always just fall for you right away.”

Woojin let out a laugh because Jihoon was in front of him, not making any sense again, but it didn’t matter, “Same here, Jihoon.”

“There’s something else too,” Jihoon swallowed and Woojin breathed in, holding in breathing out for the other shoe to drop, “I have, fucking Jesus, I have the dreams too. That’s why I was so upfront at the festival.”

Woojin wasn’t expecting that. That wasn’t possible. How was that possible? Did that mean they were contacting each other through the dreams? “So—”

“Yes. I remember every dream and everything you say in the dreams. I don’t know how to explain it. This has never happened before,” Jihoon ran a hand through his hair, “This is all…. different. I wish I could explain it.”

“It’s different for me too,” Woojin nodded. He reached out and grabbed Jihoon’s hand, a faint memory popping into his mind, “So what did you mean by you always leave first?”

Jihoon glanced down at their conjoined hands as he answered, “I can’t even describe that to you yet. Just… trust me Woojin.”

The sad matter of fact was he already did. He trusted Jihoon with his entire being. Something about Jihoon made Woojin act differently, bubbly, more alive. He couldn’t tell if he was okay with it or not, but he went along with it.

“Can we go get something to eat? I’m really hungry,” Woojin broke the silence. Jihoon’s eyes snapped up to meet Woojin’s and he smiled for the first time that day.

_ -x- _

_ Betrayal is written in the stars. It’s laced with the clouds and the misery that dusts over his life. Betrayal isn’t something he’s too fond of and when one of his collection interacts with another member of his collection, it’s as if he feels like they’re conspiring behind his back. _

_ This time the soft, pale collector’s item is following his golden kissed god. This wasn’t right. They shouldn’t be touching. They shouldn’t be interacting. _

_ But there they were. Holding hands. Too close in proximity. _

_ “No,” he hissed into the night. _

_ “What was that?” a man next to him was slithering his away into his thoughts. They may be part of his collection, but he needed this snake first to keep it growing. _

_ “Nothing babe,” he smiled, warm and inviting, “You ready to go? My apartment’s pretty close.” _

_ -x- _

Woojin learned that Jihoon grew up in a rural town in Missouri before moving to Illinois with his family a couple of years ago. Jihoon was in a band but once college started, he left to focus on his studies. He was majoring in psychology while he was in college and his campus was nearby to Boystown. He was staying with the same friend Woojin saw him with (Donghan turned out to be his name and they were just friends that had known each other for awhile). He learned that Jihoon enjoyed reading and had a thing for intricate libraries. 

“Funny enough,” Jihoon smiled as he took a sip of the milkshake he was drinking, “They remind me of mazes.”

“Fucking mazes,” Woojin laughed, his hand going to find Jihoon’s on the table. They had finished eating, the meal shared between them. “What’s up with you and mazes?”

Jihoon shrugged, a moment of discomfort passing through his face like a small ripple on water before he faded back into bliss, “I just like knowing the path through a chaotic environment.”

“You’re an interesting person, Jihoon,” Woojin leaned forward and took a sip of the milkshake. 

“I’ve got more going for me,” Jihoon winked and Woojin’s heart fluttered within his chest.

“So you’re staying with this friend? Donghan?” Woojin changed the subject after his mind went blank.

“On his couch for now. I’m looking for an apartment to stay in,” Jihoon nodded, “There’s nothing going on with Donghan, I promise.”

“I trust you,” Woojin reassured him, rubbing a thumb along the back of Jihoon’s hand, “Come stay at my place tonight.”

Jihoon looked slightly taken aback before blinking it away, “Okay.”

_ -x- _

Jihoon looked foreign in Woojin’s small apartment. He was mostly surrounded by the familiar air when he was here. It was his safe place once life got weird around him but there Jihoon was, fading in perfectly and making everything… strange.

“Woojin?” Jihoon hummed from his spot on Woojin’s bed as the other shuffled around, cleaning a few things here and there.

“Yeah?” Woojin finally snapped to look at Jihoon. He grabbed Woojin’s hand and pulled him close to him. As soon as he got him close enough, Jihoon led him towards him. They were inches away from each other and Woojin could feel his heartbeat in his throat.

“Can I kiss you?” Jihoon asked and Woojin clicked his head, shaking it as he did so. 

“You don’t have to ask. Right?” Woojin answered, closing in the gap and kissing the other so softly that Jihoon didn’t feel like it actually happened. They continued kissing just like that, soft and gentle with Woojin leaning over Jihoon. 

Woojin pushed forward, knocking Jihoon slightly over and onto his back. He started to straddle Jihoon, adding more into the kiss. It changed from sweet and gentle to a bit fiery and fierce. Woojin gripped onto Jihoon’s side and took a deep breath, his lips moving to Jihoon’s jawline. He pressed harsh kisses into the side of his neck and reveled in how Jihoon squirmed underneath him. 

“Fuck, Woojin,” Jihoon muttered out and Woojin groaned at how completely ruined he sounded. Jihoon pushed Woojin up and linked their hands together so that they were between the two of them.

“You’re beautiful Jihoon,” Woojin sighed, eyelashes fluttering against his cheeks as he blinked quickly, trying to keep his eyes dry. He couldn’t believe Jihoon was underneath him, glancing up at him like he was the moon hung in the night sky.

If he was the moon, then Jihoon would be the stars that surrounded him. 

_ -x- _

When Woojin woke up the next day, he could feel the empty bed beside him and he shot up, looking around to find Jihoon near him. When he wiped the sleep out of his eyes, he could see the other in the kitchen, the smell of eggs filling the air. Jihoon was dressed in just Woojin’s baggy sweater from the night before and his own underwear. Seeing Jihoon dressed in Woojin’s own clothes made Woojin’s heart leap from his chest. He settled back into the bed and just watched him cook for a bit, a weary but light smile on his face.

“You’re awake,” Jihoon looked up at one point and caught Woojin’s eyes.

“Am I?” Woojin muttered and Jihoon shot him a smirk, “When did you wake up?”

“Couple hours ago. Decided breakfast was in order,” Jihoon chattered excitedly, “I don’t know how you like your eggs so I just made them over medium.”

“Perfect,” Woojin nodded. “But I’d eat anything you gave me.”

“Anything?” Jihoon quipped up an eyebrow and laughed, covering his mouth with one hand. “That’s tempting to test.”

Woojin laughed but there was a pounding on the door before he could respond. “Park Woojin, open your door right now.”

“Daehwi,” Woojin rolled his eyes and Jihoon nodded understandingly. Woojin stood up, pulling on a pair of sweats and opening the door. A nervous Daehwi and Donghyun and a stoic Youngmin stood in the doorway.

“You’re okay,” Daehwi breathed out. They all let out a breath of relief. 

“Yeah?” Woojin raised an eyebrow, “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You haven’t seen the news yet?” Daehwi pushed past him and into his apartment. Youngmin and Donghyun followed suit, giving Woojin an apologetic smile. None of them acknowledged Jihoon making breakfast in the kitchen as they crowded around Woojin’s small TV. 

“Sorry,” Woojin walked over to Jihoon as they bothered turning it on, trying to show Woojin whatever they were freaking out about.

“S’okay,” Jihoon’s sleepy smile graced his face, “Should I make them something to eat too?” 

Jihoon lifted a piece of buttered toast to Woojin’s lips and he took a bite, shaking his head, “No. As soon as they calm down, they’ll leave. I promise.” Jihoon nodded and Woojin pressed a small kiss to his temple before heading back over to his friends.

“Look,” Daehwi pointed to the TV and Woojin squinted at the passing news bulletin. 

The same FBI agent, Minhyun, from the last news update was center screen, looking even more tired as he started talking,  _ “As of right now, we aren’t sure the man who is missing is connected to the same murder cases of our serial killer. Right now, we are on the lookout for Kim Jinhwan. He was last seen at a bar in Boystown late last night. If you have seen him or know of his whereabouts, please contact our tipline at the bottom of the screen.” _

“We hadn’t heard from you since you said you were leaving last night and we didn’t know if this guy had struck twice in one night or something,” Daehwi looked back at Woojin.

“He wouldn’t,” Jihoon finally spoke up, “It doesn’t fit him.”

The three other boys looked from Jihoon to Woojin and then to each other before a look of realization faded onto all of their faces. Woojin could feel his own blush rise up his body as his friend’s looked back up at him.

“Sorry. We didn’t know we were interrupting something,” Daehwi stood up, a smug grin growing as he kept eye contact with Woojin.

“No, you’re fine,” Jihoon muttered as he looked back down at the plates of food he just finished. 

“We’ll be going,” Youngmin started to shove Donghyun towards the door despite the look of questioning his boyfriend had. Daehwi started to follow before he turned back to Jihoon.

“How do you know it doesn’t fit him?” Daehwi asked. Woojin was wondering the same thing.

“I’m taking an Intro to Criminology class. We’re constantly talking about this case,” Jihoon explained, “Our professor even showed us how he would build a profile based on what the public knows.”

Daehwi’s inquisitive face fell into one of boredom, “Oh. Well. Bye. Have fun you two.”

“Bye, Daehwi,” Woojin started to push his friend towards the door.

“Don’t forget we have our monthly dinner tonight Woojin. Don’t miss it,” Daehwi pointed a finger at him, “I don’t care if you bring him but you can’t miss it.”

Woojin nodded as he groaned, “Leave, Daehwi.” He closed the door behind his friend and sighed, resting his head against the door.

“They seem fun,” Jihoon snickered, “Just like how I remember them.”

“Oh yeah! You met them at the festival,” Woojin smiled fondly.

Jihoon blanked for a second before nodding, “Yeah.”

Woojin walked back to the kitchen, a hand snaking around Jihoon’s waist. He kissed him again, pressing him against the counter as he deepened it. Jihoon kissed back just as hard, biting at Woojin’s bottom lip. Before they could go any further, Woojin’s stomach growled. 

Jihoon pulled away, laughter bubbling over, “Let’s eat.”

_ -x- _

_ Soft and Pretty wasn’t supposed to be with Golden Kissed Skin. That’s now how it was supposed to be. _

_ He was supposed to have acquired one of them at this point but because of Golden Kissed Skin’s constant hovering, he couldn’t get either of them alone. They had been holed up in the apartment all day and he was getting antsy. _

_ Somebody else would have to suffice at this point. It wasn’t ideal but the Father taught him order and schedule and he would need to start his process now if he wanted to get the results he needed. _

_ He turned back to the Snake Man. The man struggled against the constraints as he woke up, but he didn’t know he couldn’t break free. _

_ Mother taught him how to tie strongly, how to avoid easy knots. _

_ His pretty skin was luminous under the harsh white lights.  _

_ “You’re too pretty to be alive.” _

_ -x- _

“You don’t have to go tonight,” Woojin wrapped an extra scarf around Jihoon’s neck and fluffed it up to where it was sitting on his collarbones. 

“I want to. I like your friends,” Jihoon grinned. “Plus tomorrow I have to go to work and I have classes and I don’t want to leave you. So the more time I get with you the better.”

“I don’t want you to go either,” Woojin wrapped his arm around Jihoon’s waist again and dug his face into the little bit of neck that was still exposed. Jihoon let out a soft sigh and even that was pretty against Woojin’s ears.

“Come on. We’ll be late,” Jihoon rubbed Woojin’s back and he pushed the other off of him. Woojin grabbed his arm and pulled him back, pressing a soft kiss against his lips before moving to finish getting ready. Jihoon turned a bright shade of pink at the quick gesture.

They finished getting ready, comfortable silence between as they made their way to the restaurant. Woojin wouldn’t let go of Jihoon’s hand the entire way there and Jihoon wouldn’t have it any other way. Once they reached the restaurant, Woojin was completely wrapped around Jihoon, a large smile on both of their faces.

That’s what the two of them looked like. Smiles and bodies wrapped around each other.

“Are you okay?” Jihoon asked before they went in, “I mean with me being here.”   


“Fuck yeah,” Woojin gripped Jihoon’s hand tightly. Jihoon nodded slowly and they entered the restaurant. Woojin led Jihoon to a dimly lit table in the back, sitting him down in the chair next to Daehwi. He sat next to him, avoiding the eyes of the other three at the table.

“You’re late,” Daehwi quipped.

“My fault,” Jihoon took the fall, “I distracted him.”

“I figured,” Daehwi pursed his lips at Jihoon and handed him a menu, “We get the same thing but because you’re  _ new _ you’ll have to actually look at the menu.”

“Daehwi,” Donghyun scolded.

“No it’s okay. I expected this,” Jihoon laughed, “Woojin’s told me a lot about you Daehwi. Good things.”

“Woojin? Complimenting me? That doesn’t seem right. Woojin, are you sick?” Daehwi gaped comedically at his friend as he reached over to place a hand against his friend’s forehead.

Woojin blinked before he pushed Daehwi’s hand away, “Actually, Jihoon, I take it all back.”

Youngmin let out a laugh as Daehwi gasped. Jihoon leaned back as Daehwi moved to flick Woojin on the forehead and they continued to bicker.

If Woojin could describe this moment in just a few words, he would use bliss, happiness, warmth, and Jihoon. The entire dinner-which his friends and him started going to each month to make sure they were caught up in absolutely everything in their lives-was spent revealing embarrassing stories about Woojin’s childhood that only they would know. Jihoon ate up all of it, loving the story about how Woojin was trying to help the art class at their high school paint a mural. As he was bringing some paint over for a couple of students, he tripped, spilling all of the paint across the almost finished project. He was banned from the mural and ended up getting an F in Art that year. 

At one point, Daehwi and Jihoon got up to go to the bathroom, leaving just Woojin and the two lovebirds.

“So,” Donghyun crossed his arms and leaned forward, “What happened? What excuse did he use?”

“Donghyun,” Woojin groaned. He knew this was going to be brought up, but he didn’t want to talk to his friends about it just yet.

“I trust your judgement. I just want to know,” Donghyun pressed further and by the way that Youngmin wasn’t reining him in, Woojin knew he was just as curious. 

“He told me that it was his friend and they aren’t together,” Woojin grimaced, “And saying that out loud makes it sound like a lie.”

“But do  _ you  _ believe him?” Donghyun kept pushing.

“Yes,” Woojin answered automatically and he felt a breaths of relief leave the other two.

“That’s all that matters to us, Woojin. Promise. And that you’re happy,” Youngmin finally spoke.

“I am,” Woojin nodded. He looked back at the bathroom door and saw the two leaving. Daehwi was in a heavy debate with Jihoon about something. Jihoon looked guilty as Daehwi kept pushing whatever he was talking about. Woojin went to go stand up but Jihoon smiled and started laughing instead. Daehwi followed suit and they made their way back to the table.

“Sorry. We got into a debate about what soap is better,” Daehwi grinned, “I think bar soap is still the way to go.”

“Bar soap? No. Liquid soap is the future,” Jihoon laughed turning to Woojin, “Back me up here.”

Both Daehwi and Jihoon were glaring at Woojin to agree with them. In return Woojin threw his hands in the air in mock self defense. “Nope. I’m not choosing sides between you two.”

“Figures. He gets a boyfriend and I’m thrown to the curb,” Daehwi crossed his arms and huffed. 

“You’re not being thrown to the curb, Daehwi,” Woojin sighed, his eyes rolling as he wrapped an arm around Jihoon. His heart skipped a beat at the mention of  _ ‘boyfriend’  _ but he didn’t correct Daehwi. He could feel a small smile spread across his face at the fact that Jihoon didn’t either.

_ -x- _

“You can stay the night, you know,” Woojin coughed awkwardly as they left the restaurant. They had already said goodbye to the other three friends, all parting in separate directions as they did so.

“All my stuff is at Donghan’s,” Jihoon frowned.

Woojin matched Jihoon’s frown and grabbed Jihoon’s hand in the process, “I’ll walk you there then.”

“It’s a couple of blocks,” Jihoon raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t care. It’s more time with you,” Woojin shook his head and gestured for Jihoon to lead the way. “You can always stay at my place though. Like if you need a break from Donghan or something.”

“How about if I just want to see you?” Jihoon laughed. There was a moment of silence as Woojin’s smile grew.

“Of course. Then you can always come over and see me. I don’t care. If you want to be there, you can,” Woojin nodded, blush growing on his face. They continued walking in silence for a bit, small talk enveloping them as Woojin tried to find things to talk about. They both didn’t want to part and as Donghan’s apartment grew closer, Woojin’s mood soured.

“Can’t you like… go and get some stuff and just come back to my place?” he sighed as they neared the building.

“I could,” Jihoon nodded, “But I have to be up at five in the morning just to get to my first class. I don’t want to wake you up then.”

“I don’t care,” Woojin shook his head and moved to bring Jihoon closer to him. They stopped walking and Woojin turned to look at Jihoon head on, “If it means you’re next to me tonight, I won’t care at all.”

Jihoon looked up at Woojin and for once, he could read everything on his face. There was a look of desparation and longing that seemed so deep that Woojin really wanted to hold him tighter to his chest. Jihoon’s eyes filled quickly with worry and a sense of anguish, keeping Woojin cemented to that exact spot on the pavement. He couldn’t breathe as he waited for Jihoon to talk.

“I don’t want to lose you ever again,” Jihoon muttered as he crashed into Woojin’s chest. 

Flashes of the headlines of the most recent news popped into Woojin’s brain and he agreed. Losing Jihoon would be one of the worst things in the entire world to Woojin right now and he couldn’t imagine any life without him in it. 

“Then come home with me so I can protect you,” Woojin wrapped his arms around him and held him close, kissing the top of his head as he did so. Jihoon nodded in his arms and told him to wait outside for a moment. He pulled away, his eyes gleaming with tears as he turned to go into the apartment building. Woojin smiled at him, relief washing over him as he did so.

As he waited, a taller man followed by a slightly shorter man, both in suits, exited the hotel building next to Donghan’s apartment. Woojin recognized the taller man from the news broadcasts he had been watching.

“Excuse me,” he called out. The taller man turned and he felt his breath hitch. Both Hwang Minhyun and the shorter man were intimidatingly beautiful. If that’s what came with working in the FBI, Woojin definitely didn’t mind. He shook his head as he remembered Jihoon and jumped back onto his original train of thought.

“Yes?” Minhyun raised an eyebrow. The two agents neared Woojin, their aura seeming protective. 

“I’ve seen you on the news. You’re working the case with that guy,” Woojin swallowed. Minhyun and his colleague visibly relaxed and Woojin’s confidence raised as they did, “Please find him.”

“That’s me. Yes,” Minhyun nodded, his eyes softening. “Do you know one of the victims?”

“No,” Woojin shook his head, “But I care about somebody that could be hurt by him. I want this to go away so I don’t have to be worried anymore.”

Minhyun nodded his head, “We’re working really hard. We’ll find him.”

“In the meantime, if you hear anything or see anything, you can call us,” the shorter man handed Woojin a card. He looked down at the name  _ ‘Kim Jaehwan’  _ written across in blue ink next to the FBI logo. “Our hotel phone number is on the back as well.”

“I work at Shipton’s Bar,” Woojin stuffed the card into his pocket, “If I hear anything. I’ll call.”

“Thank you... uh…,” Minhyun trailed off. 

“Woojin. Park Woojin,” he softly smiled at the two agents. Before they could respond, Jihoon walked out of the front of the building, a duffle bag on his shoulder. He grinned at Woojin, causing his heart to thump against his chest. The two agents looked at Jihoon, a quiet understanding passed between them.

“Thank you Woojin. Have a good night,” Jaehwan nodded at them and the two turned to get into a car.

“Who was that?” Jihoon asked, his hand finding Woojin’s as they turned to walk towards Woojin’s apartment.

“Huh?” Woojin looked down at Jihoon, “Oh. They were the FBI agents working the serial killer case.”

“Oh,” Jihoon looked back at them, “What did you talk about?”

“Finding that son of a bitch so you could be safe,” Woojin lifted Jihoon’s hand up to his lips so he could kiss it, rubbing a a thumb over it to seal it onto his skin. Jihoon let out a lengthy sigh and leaned into Woojin a bit as they continued walking.

_ -x- _

_ Getting from one side of the city to the other was a lot harder with a body in the trunk. Snake Man was easy to kill, no fight left in him after he realized what was going to happen. _

_ He begged for his lover. Funny how that was him just a few hours before. _

_ Snake Man didn’t seem to understand the difference between him and the rest of the world’s evil. He didn’t seem to understand he was better than the rest of them out there. He just held fear in his eyes as he died. _

_ That was going to be Soft and Pretty next. He had decided it. He watched as Soft and Pretty and Golden Kissed walked hand in hand towards their street. He needed Soft and Pretty in his collection. He had to have him there. _

_ The collection was almost complete. They were the last two. _

_ They were his final moves. _

_ -x- _

Woojin didn’t know when Jihoon moved in exactly. He just knew that within a matter of weeks, all of his stuff was at his place. Jihoon woke up every morning and cooked Woojin breakfast, using the time to study before Woojin woke up himself. They always used the time before Jihoon had to go to class to eat and indulge in whatever else they wanted to. Jihoon became a fixture in Woojin’s life so quickly that even his three friends became worried. 

Every time they came over, Jihoon was the one to answer the door, a pencil behind his ear and a book in his hand. Woojin would always be asleep on his bed and Jihoon would usually give the excuse,  _ “Sorry. Must’ve wore him out.” _

Daehwi had just about enough.

“That’s it,” he declared after they had shown up (unannounced Jihoon would add in) and the two of them were enjoying their own dinner. “Woojin you’re going out with us tonight and just us. Sorry Jihoon. We like you but Woojin needs some boy time.”

“But Youngmin and Donghyun are literally dating and get to go out together with us all the time. What’s the difference with Jihoon?” Woojin scoffed, “Plus we’re not done eating. You guys just showed up.”

“I tried to call over here but you didn’t answer,” Youngmin pointed out, “And it’s different. We’ve all known each other for years Woojin.”

“Whatever,” Woojin grumbled.

“It’s okay, babe. Go. I have a lot to study for anyways,” Jihoon nudged Woojin’s foot. Woojin muttered a few curse words under his breath as he took one last bite of his food and got up from their bed. 

_ Their bed.  _ He smiled as he started to get ready. He knew his friends were right in the fact that he was spending a lot of time with Jihoon but he had an itching feeling he didn’t have a lot of time with Jihoon left and he couldn’t figure out why.

_ -x- _

“My birthday is coming up next week,” Jihoon muttered into Woojin’s skin later that night. “Do you want to do something?”

“Next week?” Woojin raised an eyebrow as he pulled Jihoon closer to him. The two of them melded together so nicely that Woojin was starting to believe they truly belonged together and were made for each other.

“Yeah,” Jihoon nodded, “Next Wednesday.”

Woojin pondered for a second before something clicked in his mind, “You know that band that was performing when we met? The one I was really excited to see?” Jihoon nodded slowly. “They’re performing next week. On that Tuesday. We could go to that the night before and then you and I can do something the next day just us.”

“What are they called again?” Jihoon’s breath was ticklish against Woojin’s chest.

“The Surge,” Woojin hummed. “Want me to play some of their music? I have their CD’s.”

“Fancy,” Jihoon laughed, “Aren’t CD players extremely expensive?”

Woojin laughed, “I got mine for about $500 at Radioshack.”

Jihoon let out a long breath and rolled over a little to glance up at Woojin. They locked eyes as Jihoon leaned up to kiss Woojin softly on the lips, “I think this is the happiest I’ve ever been.”

Woojin smiled, his eyes disappearing as he did so, “I feel the same way, Park Jihoon.”

_ -x- _

_ It wouldn’t be long now. He only needed a few more days of preparation. This time it would have to be a random grab. He wouldn’t have time to pull him in and lure him. _

_ It wouldn’t be long now. _

_ -x- _

“We’re gonna be late!” Jihoon groaned as he waited for his boyfriend to leave the bathroom. He smiled as Woojin rushed out a few seconds later, his pants still unbuttoned and his shirt still half pulled on.

“Have you seen my belt?” he muttered mostly to himself. Jihoon laughed as he threw the belt towards him, covering his mouth with his other hand. Woojin caught it, sliding it on and buttoning his pants. “I need my leather jacket.”

Jihoon tossed it to him, pulling it out from under the bed, “What did you do without me?”

“I barely survived,” Woojin finally turned to his boyfriend. “You ready?”

Jihoon gave him a smile that Woojin could only describe as sad but brightened it as he stood up, “Always.”

Woojin wrapped his hand around Jihoon’s and pulled him closer to him, pressing a kiss on his forehead. Before they walked out, Jihoon took a final look around the apartment. He muttered something about making sure that they had everything. Woojin pulled him closer and opened the door. 

“Let’s go babe,” he kissed his temple and led him forward, too excited to get to the bar.

_ -x- _

If Woojin could describe the feeling of seeing one of his favorite bands with his favorite person in the world, it would be euphoric. Woojin’s arms wrapped around Jihoon’s waist as they sang the lyrics to their song, and for once, it felt everything was in place.

__ Lights can’t bring you back.  
__ They can’t illuminate your face.  
_ You seemed to make your way  
_ __ Into my heart

 

__ Oh Baby  
__ Oh Baby  
_ I see you in my shadows  
_ __ I see you in my dreams

Jihoon turned around in Woojin’s arms, pressing a kiss against his lips. “I love you, Park Woojin.”

“I love you too, Park Jihoon.”

“You two look so happy right now!” Donghyun slurred next to them. Woojin looked at his best friend, laughing as he took the beer out of his hands. He took a long drink before handing the rest of it to Jihoon. The three of them turned back to the stage as  _ The Surge  _ kept singing.

__ You’re always there  
_ Keeping your eyes on me  
_ __ Watching as if I’m near you

 

__ Do you know?  
__ Do you know I’m watching for you too?  
_ I needed you  
_ __ My Dear

 

__ Oh Baby  
__ Oh Baby  
_ I see you in my shadows  
_ __ I see you in my dreams

“I’m gonna go get some more to drink,” Jihoon muttered into Woojin’s ear. “Stay here.”

Woojin nodded, letting Jihoon out of his arms after pressing a kiss on his forehead. Jihoon let out a long sigh and let go of Woojin.  
  


He didn’t know it was the last time he would touch Jihoon. 

Because he didn’t come back.

“Have you guys seen Jihoon?” he asked probably two or three times before the panic really set in. Youngmin and Donghyun began searching the small bar, pressing in between people to get a glimpse at the shorter male. 

“Daehwi!” Woojin screamed as he neared the front. The younger friend turned, excitement melting into worry as he looked over at him. “I can’t find Jihoon!”

“No,” Daehwi frowned, turning towards the front of the stage then back. “Please tell me he’s here.”

They searched for an hour and as the set ended and everybody filed out, they waited. They waited until there was nobody left and they were being ushered out themselves. Youngmin found his way to a payphone and called the cops. They all knew what this meant. It was Boystown. It was two weeks after the last murder.

Woojin ran to every bar, looking for the same familiar crop of brown hair. He looked for his rosy cheeks and his wide smile. He ran until his feet bled. It would be Daehwi that would force him to get home. Daehwi was the one that forced him to get into bed and it was Daehwi who gave him all the details of what Youngmin relayed to the cops.

When Woojin woke up, he could see Daehwi smiling.

“Why are you smiling?” he asked, sitting up.

“Wh-what?” Daehwi blinked, his face going blank.

“You were smiling,” Woojin rubbed his eyes, pushing back his hair.

“I wasn’t-” Daehwi started, confusion spreading across his face.

“You  _ wanted _ him gone,” Woojin felt the blood starting to boil in his veins. “You hated him.”

“You didn’t see me smiling, Woojin.” Daehwi groaned, “Please go back to sleep. We have to be at the police station tomorrow morning.”

Woojin turned over in his bed and looked out his window. He couldn’t believe, nor wanted to, that Daehwi could be lying to him. He saw him smile and he knew that Daehwi had problems with Jihoon’s sudden appearance in their lives but Woojin needed him.

He needed Jihoon’s soft kiss in the middle of the night and he needed Jihoon’s hand in his own as they would move throughout public quietly.

He needed him and even his dream were screaming out to him.

_ -x- _

_ The maze looked overgrown and uncared for as Woojin approached it. His heartbeat steadily increased as he tried to find the entrance.  _

_ “Jihoon?” he called out but silence followed, a slight uneasiness embedded into it. “Jihoon!” _

_ A distant laugh caused Woojin to turn around and he swallowed thickly as he recognized the laugh. It was Jihoon’s laugh. He followed the source of it, hoping Jihoon would be near.  _

_ When Woojin rounded the corner, a light was casting on a maze wall, giving it a look of projection. He squinted and a movie started playing, only he was one of the stars. He was walking next to a younger Jihoon, just as he appeared younger. They looked around eleven or twelve. _

**_"Your name is Park Woojin, correct?" Jihoon hummed after a few minutes of silence._ ** ****__  
****__  
**_"Yes," Woojin stopped to think about the next part of the maze, "I'm the baker's son."_ ** ****__  
****__  
**_"So you are," Jihoon mulled over the thought for a moment, "Do you enjoy baking?"_ ** ****__  
**_  
_ ** ****_"I do," Woojin answered automatically._

_ Woojin blinked and the scene changed.  _

_ This time it was an older version of him, around the age he was now. Daehwi was there. Both of them were at a river or stream. _

**_"I think he likes you," Daehwi stepped over the bank of the creek and into the water. His pants were rolled up and his eyes mapped out his route for his next several steps._ ** ****__  
****__  
**_Woojin watched from the bank of the creek with a frown, "Who?"_ ** ****__  
****__  
**_"Prince Jihoon," Daehwi smiled, his eyes glancing over the small waterfall in front of him. "The way you talk about him; he seems to really care for you."_ ** ****__  
**_  
_ ** ****_"I mean, he cares like a friend. That's how his father and mine would talk," Woojin sighed, "Nothing more than that Daehwi."_

_ Woojin laughed bitterly and turned away. Something about all of this felt… wrong. He could remember all of this but couldn’t at the same time. The memories were distant; painful. _

_ When he rounded a corner, he was back in the boarding school. This time the walls were scorched and he was standing in front of a dorm room door. A doctor was standing over the other version of him laying in a bed with a rag pressed against his forehead. _

**_“Son, can you hear me?” his voice was garbled._ **

**_Woojin coughed. “Is he alive?”_ **

**_“Your friend? No.” The doctor hesitated, “He saved your life. If he wasn’t on top of you, most of the smoke would’ve gone in your lungs.”_ **

**_Woojin cried, the tears creeping onto his skin and dragging the soot and ashes down his face._ **

_ He remembered this. He was alive and Jihoon had died. He still died days later from most of his wounds but he was alive for days after this. Remembering, crying because of Jihoon. _

_ Just as he turned he was in the school library.  _

**_Woojin moved a hand over to Jihoon’s hair and ruffled it a bit. He didn’t miss the way that Jihoon’s cheeks warmed up and he didn’t miss the way his breath stopped as Woojin touched him._ ** ****__  
****__  
**_“S-stop,” Jihoon pushed away his hand, “I’m trying to focus. Plus somebody might see you and think you’re crazy or something.”_ ** **_  
_ ** ****

**_“Do you think I’m crazy?” Woojin smirked, “Because I called you cute?”_ ** ****__  
**_  
_ ** ****_“No,” Jihoon’s eyes widened dramatically, “I just think that people at this school are really judgemental and I don’t want you to get that kind of reputation.”_

_ Woojin didn’t care about reputation back then. He was a bit more loose in this life. _

_ Woojin blinked. How did he know that? _

**_“I-I really think you like to mess with me. One moment you act like I don’t exist and the other… it’s like you’re—” Jihoon started._ ** ****__  
****__  
**_Woojin leaned forward so fast Jihoon barely had time to keep up, “Like I’m flirting?”_ ** ****__  
****__  
**_Jihoon nodded slowly and watched Woojin’s eyes slowly dip down to his own lips and then back up, “What do you want from me?”_ ** ****__  
****__  
**_Woojin swallowed slowly, “You.”_ ** ****__  
**_  
_ ** _ Woojin laughed this time. He was definitely a lot more bold.  _

_ He let himself remember. The first time he had set eyes on Jihoon was in the school office. He had fallen in love instantly-or it was his belief that he had. Woojin was always in love with Jihoon. No matter the life. No matter where they were. He always loved Jihoon with all of his heart. _

_ His next memory faded quickly as he recognized the tiny shack they lived in during The Great Depression and as it faded into a two seater plane they flew together in World War Two, he choked on tears he didn’t know he had. He saw more and more familiar faces in Daehwi, Seonho, Guanlin, Youngmin, and Donghyun.  _

_ He saw faces he couldn’t remember. The names, too, repeat themselves in every life. _

_ They all blended together until he saw just Jihoon’s. _

_ “Find me.” _

_ This time it wasn’t a memory. This time it was Jihoon reaching out. _

_ -x- _

When Woojin woke up, tears were on his face. He couldn’t breathe but he knew his dream wasn’t a dream. It was his body’s way of waking him up and reminding him of what truly was happening.

“Daehwi?” Woojin called out. He could only wonder if Daehwi remembered. He was there in almost every life. He had to know.

Daehwi moved from the kitchen to where they were last night. He sat next to Woojin as he leaned up in the bed, wiping his eyes as he realized tears were still falling from them freely. Daehwi swallowed and waited for Woojin to speak.

“Do you-” Woojin started only to stop again when he couldn’t find the words to speak again, “Do you think that there were like-I don’t know how to word this. Fuck it. Do you remember your past lives?”

Daehwi sat a little stunned for a second before straightening up and giving Woojin a sad smile. Woojin held his breath as Daehwi collected his thoughts for a second. “I didn’t think I’d have to have this conversation with you for another, like, three lives.”

Woojin blinked, “What?”

“I’m guessing you remember. That’s why you’re asking, right?” Daehwi ran a hand through his hair and didn’t wait for Woojin to respond, “Let me, I guess, tell you about everything.” Daehwi stood up and headed back to the kitchen to get what he was making before. He handed a cup of tea to Woojin and leaned back in his chair, taking a sip from his own cup. Woojin waited with bated breath as his friend took his time.

“Basically,” Daehwi started, closing his eyes softly, “I’m what’s called a Keeper. I look after multiple pairings and orchestrate their lives and making sure they intertwine. Through every life, I assign you both to a family and then I make sure you two end up meeting at some point in your life whether it be through unconscious or physical intervention.”

“What?” Woojin repeated, taking a slow breath.

“You live multiple lives. You’ll always live multiple lives. You’ll continue living until you’ve lived in every era of time and this physical realm ends. When that happens, you end up like me, but the goal is to make sure you have a future partner in all of this. So in the next physical realm created, you can ensure the path of the future is solid in creation.” Daehwi opened his eyes and looked down at Woojin, his eyes huge, “I’m your keeper. I watch over you and Jihoon, and Youngmin and Donghyun. Usually most keepers have four or five partners they watch over but your case has taken a lot of time to perfect. You’re a stubborn one.”

“Daehwi, you’re not making any sense. I actually  _ have  _ lived multiple lives?” Woojin furrowed his eyebrows.

“Yes. And in every single one of them, Jihoon has died because you don’t remember.” Daehwi grimaced, “And he’ll keep dying early until you remember every life together. For some reason, he’s latched onto the one where he’s a Prince. I particularly enjoyed that one too, actually.”

“Jihoon dies,” Woojin paled, “because I don’t remember?"

“Every time. He goes first and you follow shortly behind,” Daehwi bit his lip and leaned forward, “But don’t think of going and killing yourself to get yourself to remember and to get to Jihoon because it doesn’t work like that. Natural causes are the only thing that will get you killed. Anyways, you’ll only be able to remember up to the Prince life. Anything before that will be pretty hazy. You might have glimpses of the past but your life is shaped by that lifetime.”

“Is that the one with the maze?” Woojin asked, his voice small. A memory of a battle faded quickly in and out.

“That’s the one,” Daehwi nodded, “There’s a chance that you won’t remember this quite yet in the next life. Your time left in this decade is short since Jihoon is probably leaving this life shortly. Since your full memory isn’t back, he can’t live past nineteen.”

“He knew?” Woojin asked, “Did he know? This entire time?”

“He’s known this whole time.”

Woojin wept. The tears didn’t stop this time as he let himself cry harder than he’s ever cried before. He couldn’t stop even whenever Daehwi tried to tell him that Jihoon couldn’t say anything because it would delay the memory process. He couldn’t stop even after Daehwi told him that the FBI had a possible suspect in custody because that meant they didn’t know where Jihoon was since they hadn’t said anything to him yet.

Jihoon was still gone and Woojin couldn’t apologize for being late.  
  
  


“So,” Woojin turned to Daehwi a couple nights later, voice raw from not talking since he stopped crying, “Who assigned you?”

“What?” Daehwi asked, looking up from his spot on the floor. He had slept over at Woojin’s the entire time he had begun what Daehwi labeled his 20th grieving process. He was trying to let Daehwi slip by with the small jokes but honestly, Woojin was getting a little sick of it. He just wanted to see Jihoon again.

“Who assigned you? You said you were assigned to Jihoon and I,” Woojin shrugged, “I mean what does that even mean?”

“Do I have to explain what assigned means? It’s a pretty self explanatory word, Woojin,” Daehwi scoffed.

“WHO assigned you Daehwi?” Woojin growled.

“You don’t know him,” Daehwi rolled over.

“I’ll kill you. In this lifetime and the next,” Woojin slapped his best friend on the shoulder.

Daehwi turned back over and smirked at him, “Not if you don’t remember!”

_ -x- _

_ “Where is he?” _

_ “That’s a loaded question, Agent,” he smirked, his eyes grazing over the badge, “Hwang Minhyun. You know, names are powerful. Yours has a nice ring to it.” _

_ “Tell him. Now. Where is Park Jihoon?” _

_ He laughed as the other detective slammed his fist against the table. They were angry about the loss of Soft and Pretty. They didn’t know he was already part of his collection, his extras thrown away off a small beach. _

_ “Is he even still alive?” _

_ “Now we’re asking the important questions.” _

_ “You know he has someone to come home to, right? Somebody who loves him a lot.” _

_ “He doesn’t love him.” Golden Kissed? Love? Sure. _

_ “So you know about Woojin?” _

_ Woojin? That was Golden Kissed’s name? _

_ “He’s just another piece of my collection, Agent...uh...Jaehwan. Why? Worried about him?” _

_ -x- _

When Woojin went back to work, his mind wasn’t on serving drinks or clearing tables. His mind was on Jihoon the entire time. He was trying very hard to focus on his job but how could he? How could he care about it when the last place he saw Jihoon was just a few buildings away? 

The one person he didn’t expect to see was Minhyun at one of his tables.

“Agent Minhyun?” Woojin swallowed. This could only mean one thing. It had to do with Jihoon.

“Woojin, can we talk? In private?” Minhyun was trying to be a bit louder over the music playing over the speakers. A flash of color caught Woojin’s attention and he turned, trying to think of Jihoon. Minhyun coughed and Woojin looked back up at the agent. He nodded and waved for him to follow him.

They walked into the back and Woojin waved to his boss that it was okay. “That’s my boss, Sungwoon. He’s a bit squeamish to people being in the back.”

Minhyun flashed him his badge and then turned back to Woojin, “I have some news regarding Jihoon.”

“I knew you would,” Woojin could feel a nasty taste in his mouth start to build. “Is he dead?”

“I’m sorry, Woojin,” Minhyun sighed and Woojin braced himself to hear the same words he always heard when he was told Jihoon was dead, “He’s in a better place now.”

“Yeah,” Woojin nodded and he could feel his feet start to move, “I’ll be with him soon.”

Minhyun watched in confusion as Woojin turned towards the door, leaving the agent behind in the back. His feet carried him outside, rain falling fast and hard against the pavement, his mind only pulling back memories of Jihoon. 

_ “Can I kiss you?” _

_ “I love you, Park Woojin.” _

_ “Don’t worry. I always find you.” _

Woojin laughed. Jihoon always did. He always will.

Jihoon was the last thing in Woojin’s mind as he felt the hard metal of a car hit his side, sending him flying against the pavement, the rough blacktop digging into his skin. His head hit the concrete and he could only think of Jihoon.

“I’m coming, Jihoon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHH okay this chapter has been my favorite so far. i know it’s been like a month but i’ve needed this chapter to be well thought out and also a lot of personal issues happened while i was gone so that made it not happen for a bit too
> 
> anyways!! thank you guys for reading and thank you to toby, domi, and aiden for putting up with me bugging them to read this like lmao y’all the best and also for beta'ing it especially toby like he worked on it so much
> 
> also lmao @mistletoejisung is my twitter like come and fight me about this i love talking to people about fics and shit like actually im begging you please come talk to me
> 
> anyways this is opening up the story to more side stories which i might post about youngmin donghyun daehwi seonho and guanlin so if you guys want that, leave a comment and i’ll post some stories from their lives and such!!!


	4. The Bookkeeper's Boyfriend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's the long awaited last chapter.... sorry it took forever to finish it... i tried so hard to make this chapter really good and full of fluff and a little tiny bit of like a smidge of angst and idk how this even is 15k and wow i just really love this chapter it's my second favorite lmao but yes here it is and im sorry if its shit and not the ending that you expected but yeah!!
> 
> also there's a bit of a sex scene at the end but i'll mark where it happens and where it ends so you can skip over it but it wasn't important to the full plot of the entire story

Daehwi could explain his purpose in a simple sentence.  _ I look after a bunch of idiots.  _ To be fair, Youngmin and Donghyun were still oblivious and their life span was still pretty short, but Woojin was the most stubborn person he’s ever had to take care of. He usually tries to avoid talking to his assignments, a rule most Keeper’s try to keep up with but in special cases, they were allowed to dip down to Earth to watch over them. 

Keeper’s were the next level up from whatever their assignments were. Essentially, their assignments passed as humans, but from what Daehwi had been taught, they were far from it. Their souls passed from body to body, morphing them to look as though they did in every life. Daehwi’s original keeper had explained that the Earth used to be all human. Then, one day their kind came from a different planet a couple of galaxies over and began to invade the bodies of the original inhabitants. The only issue was their souls didn’t die like the humans’ did.

Keeper’s watched over the Kept. What Daehwi was, that was a keeper. What Woojin and Jihoon were happened to be the Kepts. They both were kept by Daehwi, even though most would imagine it would be the other way around.

Daehwi could morph his image and appearance to fit the age of those around him. So if Woojin happened to be a toddler, so would Daehwi, although his mind was fit to be about two thousand years old. So was Woojin, but his mind hadn’t morphed into that quite yet.

Keepers only became keepers when they lived every life possible-through every time period, every year, every possible life. They had to be poor, they had to be rich, they had to be blind, deaf, mute. They had to have every illness and disease.

In the early days, that seemed hard for some of the Kept so the Ancestors of their kind made a system to where they had a partner to navigate their journey with. Soon, that morphed into more than just partners. The Ancestors noticed that the partners were well matched and most had fallen in love with each other multiple times over the years. They needed the matches to work for the Kept to be given full, long lifes. In turn that required both to remember their lives beforehand and that they were living multiple lives. It wouldn’t be until the end of their journey together that they would be told they were Kepts and they could either continue to live together throughout the ages together or they could become Keepers. 

The Keepers would have to separate until they could get their own assignments to remember, then from there their time would be equally split between their assignments and their own partner. It was like a reward. They were still able to see their partners but for less time than they were used to. Instead of seeing them daily, it was only for a couple of years after each life ended. 

Daehwi? He was missing out on his reward. Jinyoung had it easy in a sense that his assignments remembered quite quickly so he was able to go back to their home and wait for Daehwi to finish. For Daehwi, neither Youngmin or Donghyun remembered and Woojin was taking his precious time. 

Daehwi was getting exhausted, waiting every lifetime for one of them to  _ just fucking remember.  _ He would return to his home every night and see Jinyoung, a smile on his face waiting for the details of his assignment. 

The day Woojin died on the Chicago street, his head pooling blood quickly, sure to leave a stain for years to come, Daehwi went home with tears in his eyes. Jinyoung held him, a breath leaving his mouth as he realized that this was only going to take longer.

“I had hope this time,” Daehwi breathed out, “Woojin was dreaming about him. Jihoon knew who I was. He knew I was there to watch out for them.”

_ They had just gotten up to go to the bathroom and Jihoon was already starting on their past. “How long have you been around? Longer than me? Longer than Seonho and Guanlin?” _

_ “Much longer. Well, actually, no. The same amount of time, but not. We age differently,” Daehwi laughed, “You know Seonho and Guanlin? Did you ever meet Jinyoung?” _

_ Jihoon frowned, “No.” _

_ “Oh,” Daehwi grimaced and opened the door, “He’s um, he’s my match.” _

_ There was a silence between them as they went to the bathroom. As soon as Jihoon was done and Daehwi followed him to the sinks, he started back up, “Every time I see you, you’re alone though.” _

_ “Jinyoung and I are different. I wish I could explain it to you in a way that you’ll understand, but I can’t,” Daehwi sighed. “Just believe me when I say this Jihoon, you and Woojin are more connected than you’ll ever know.” _

_ “He really has no idea does he?” Jihoon sighed, “Like the dreams we have together? Is that.. normal?” _

_ “No,” Daehwi shook his head, “I- I don’t know why you guys are having these connected dreams. It’s not anything that I’ve ever encountered before. It might be confined to this lifetime.” _

_ They started to exit the bathroom, “But you can’t ever tell him that your dreams aren’t normal. Not in this lifetime or any other. Woojin’s soul is fragile and can easily be damaged by any sort of abnormal news.” _

_ The conversation ended there. _

Jinyoung was forced to wait every day for his match to return to their home. The times he did, it was usually after Woojin died and he had to hear about another grueling lifetime of unhappiness and weariness.

 

“It was so close.”

“Maybe after the next life. Then you can focus on Youngmin and Donghyun.”

  
  
  


If Jihoon was lying, he would say, “My life is easier since Woojin can partially remember.” That would make him a liar. 

If Jihoon was telling the honest truth, he would say, “My life is a total shit show since Woojin can partially remember but in the life after that one he was blind, and we kind of had to deal with that.”

Essentially, Woojin was damaged since his 1985 death. His body wasn’t healing in the way it was supposed to, so his eyes weren’t how they normally were. He was only twelve when the disease that caused his blindness in that lifetime took him. Jihoon had tried so hard to get him to talk about his lifetimes previous. Woojin wanted to remember but without visual confirmation that it was  _ his  _ Jihoon, he couldn’t. He could only have distant memories where he could  _ see _ back then.

Jihoon was devastated when Woojin died that time. They were getting somewhere and Jihoon wanted to find a way to start getting him to remember without having to visually see Woojin. There was a lapse in judgement from Jihoon with his twelve year old mind but his memories fueled him. 

Woojin died on a cloudy Sunday afternoon. It was the first time he ever died before Jihoon. Jihoon didn’t know how to describe the pain that followed. He wanted to scream, he definitely cried, but his parents wanted to hold him and tell him it was going to be okay. There would be another time to see his departed friend.

They didn’t know how soon it would be. On the way to the funeral, Jihoon’s family were hit by a truck and he died instantly. 

 

If Jihoon could describe seeing Youngmin and Donghyun again, it would be weird. They were both fully aware of who they were at that point, to which they explained that shortly after Woojin died in 1985 they were both really shocked at how Daehwi seemed so flippant about it. It started with Youngmin, and his desire to understand why all of this was happening. He began drinking a lot and that followed with weird, sudden dreams of his past. 

“Daehwi says it starts with dreams. You dream of your past and you begin to fold into your memories to find a reason as to why you’re having these dreams,” Youngmin explained. “When I was having these dreams, Donghyun was feeding off my energy. Since we were already together, it was easy to go through the journey together. In our next life, we remembered almost instantly this time.”

“Daehwi spent most of this life helping us,” Donghyun nodded, “That’s probably why he didn’t see you guys at all last time. Where were you guys anyways?”

“Seattle. Rainy.” Jihoon frowned, “ So you two remember now? Everything?”

“Including 1623 in Madrid,” Youngmin bit back a laugh, “Back when you had snuck into Woojin’s household and his father caught you midway through the window.”

Jihoon groaned, “I’m not fond of that lifetime.”

“Madrid? In 1623? Nobody was,” Youngmin rubbed the back of his neck. They were standing in Jihoon’s grandfather’s book shop while Donghyun went to grab the book they had originally came into the store for. 

This lifetime, Jihoon lived in New York City again. His grandfather took him in when his parents had found out he was gay a couple of years ago. There was a laugh deep in Jihoon’s chest when his parents told him that,  _ “Being gay was unnatural and against the Lord’s way.” _ Through Jihoon’s many years, he had come to find out that the concept of religion was unnecessary. There were no gods. There were only the higher ups. The path of life consisted of being a normal human, being a life hopper, and then being a Keeper. After that, he was unsure, but a God on top of all that? He would have to be cruel and unjust to keep people who were in love so separated just because they weren’t on the same page.

Jihoon was nineteen, his life coming to an end soon, and he  _ still  _ hadn’t met Woojin. 

Youngmin and Donghyun were thirteen and fourteen, their lives just now starting fresh and happily. They weren’t stressed anymore. They had each other and Jihoon never hated them more for it.

“But I haven’t seen Woojin around lately. Have you-” Youngmin started.

“Haven’t met him yet, no,” Jihoon shook his head. “I travel a lot to collect books for my grandfather, so maybe I just continue to miss him.”

“He might not even be here,” Youngmin’s face screwed up in thought and Jihoon’s heart squeezed in appreciation. He knew that Daehwi watched over them the same way he did over Woojin and himself. The Keeper had visited a few years back and had told them all the ways that Keeper’s worked and how once the two couples were reunited in solidarity, he would be able to just keep an eye on them while enjoying his own life with Jinyoung on another plane of existence that they didn’t know about.

The entire thing was crazy to Jihoon. He couldn’t fully grasp it and to himself, it was extremely confusing but he knew that over time he would come to understand it before becoming a Keeper himself.

“You’ll see him soon. I know it,” Youngmin ended up responding as Donghyun came back. They made plans to see each other again and they left, love written in their young eyes.

 

When Jihoon turned twenty one with no sign or no dreams of Woojin, he knew something was wrong. He didn’t know how to get into contact with Daehwi to ask him what was up and he was nervous something had gone wrong. He almost dreaded traveling now because that was his excuse on why he wasn’t meeting him. He felt his own hope slip away as soon as Woojin’s twenty first birthday passed by uneventfully. 

This time, he would be going to Seattle to meet up with a book trader about a couple of first edition Jane Austen books that his grandfather needed to get his hands on to finish a collection he had started before Jihoon was born this time around. He reluctantly agreed but mainly since his grandfather was getting too old to travel on his own. 

The morning he left, he was about twenty minutes behind schedule and his mind was more preoccupied with the fact that he was going to miss his flight if he didn’t hurry. He rushed to La Guardia, his phone in hand and barely made it through security before he realized that he forgot all of toiletries in his bathroom back home.

To continue his bad day, when he got to his gate, they had just closed the doors and wouldn’t let him on the plane.

“Please,” Jihoon pleaded with the employee, “I need to get to Seattle.”

“We can see if there are any other flights with us today but you may be required to pay the difference in your seat if need be,” the employee smiled, her eyes full of exhaustion as she typed away at the computer in front of her.

“Money is not an issue right now,” Jihoon shook his head, pulling out his wallet from his back pocket.

She smiled at him before turning back to her computer, “There’s a flight in about three hours from here to Seattle but the only seat left is a first class ticket.”

“How much is the difference?” Jihoon started to take out the card his grandfather gave him to pay for business trips.

“About six hundred dollars,” the woman peered up at Jihoon. He didn’t falter as he handed over the card and she swallowed thickly.

As she processed his payment, he pulled out his phone to call his grandfather and let him know what was going on. Instead of being angry, his grandfather laughed, “Sounds like an average day for you.”

“Thanks,” Jihoon deadpanned, “Anyways, I just wanted to let you know before you got confused about the charge.”

“Thank you Jihoon,” his grandfather hummed, “I’ll see you when you get home on Monday, right?”

“Yes sir,” Jihoon answered, turning back to sign the receipt from the airline employee.

“See you then,” his grandfather hung up and Jihoon grabbed his new ticket from the employee.

“Have a safe flight,” she nodded at him as he thanked her. He turned away from the gate and started to head towards his new gate so he could be there early and definitely not miss his flight this time.

After finding his gate and grabbing a quick bite to eat at the McDonald’s, he found a seat near the door and pulled out one of the books he had been reading recently. Switching between eating fries and skimming the pages, he hardly noticed the time passing pretty quickly. Just two hours later and the gate was full of the other passengers and there was somebody sitting next to him. When he turned his head, Daehwi was next to him, a wide smile on his face.

“I’ve been wanting to talk to you,” Jihoon sighed, “I didn’t think I would find you here of all places.”

“I’ve found an interest in Seattle while waiting for you two,” he sighed, a deep breath resonating out of his mouth, “It’s supposed to rain later this week. I do enjoy rain.”

Jihoon smirked, “Did you make it rain the day of his funeral?”

Daehwi laughed, “I was standing by his grave and waiting for you to show up. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You know it’s interesting how you’re becoming the death of me,” Jihoon laughed with him and the two enjoyed their own little joke. They settled before Daehwi looked over at him, as if prompting him to ask what Jihoon had been dying to know, “When will I meet him?”

“Soon,” Daehwi smirked, “You are twenty aren’t you?” 

Jihoon nodded, “He remembers doesn’t he?”

Daehwi leaned forward and grabbed Jihoon’s drink, taking a long sip, “He probably is still dreaming of you. You just haven’t been to the dreams recently.”

“I can’t,” Jihoon shook his head, “The last lifetime, I tried. I really did but the dreams were just memories. They weren’t our own space where we could communicate.”

“Have you tried this time?” Daehwi took a fry and Jihoon frowned. “Sorry traveling down here makes me hungry.”

“No I haven’t tried this time,” Jihoon swiped his pack of fries back and shoved a twenty in Daehwi’s way, “Buy your own food.”

Daehwi stood up, a smile on his face as he went to buy himself some food. As he did, the flight attendant called for everybody who was priority boarding. Jihoon gathered his stuff and made his way onto the plane, his eyes casting over for Daehwi, wondering if this eccentric friend was even on this flight or if he just popped down to reassure Jihoon.

As he made his way to his seat, he let out a shaky breath of nerves and sat down, gathering everything he would need on this flight. Airplanes were still scary and even though Jihoon had been on them since they were invented for commercial use, he would  _ never _ get used to the heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach when he rode them.

He pulled a sleeping mask over his eyes and leaned back with his headphones in, drowning out any senses he could to avoid the building of anxiety that slowly began to take over him. He was almost asleep when he felt somebody tap him on the shoulder.

“Sir,” a voice could be heard over his music. Jihoon pulled the face mask up and put on his best  _ leave me alone, I’d rather be left alone _ face before he saw who was taping him on the shoulder. 

Woojin.

Woojin was staring at him, a smug smile on his face as Jihoon took a deep breath inwards. He really, truly didn’t expect the younger to be in front of him, nonetheless in a flight attendant’s outfit. Jihoon’s eyes felt as if they were bulging out of their sockets and he leaned up faster than he intended, banging his knee on the seat in front of him.

“Shit,” he muttered under his breath, rubbing his injured knee and fully pulling off his mask.

“Are you going to say anything?” Woojin laughed, sitting in the seat next to Jihoon, “I did have to pull some strings to be on this flight.”

“What?” Jihoon blinked slowly.

“I mean, Daehwi was the one who originally gave me a heads up you were missing your other flight and you’d be on this one. He’s pretty good,” Woojin kept rambling. “On top of that he wouldn’t tell me where your seat was. I was gonna have to guess where you would be, but look at that, you’ll be right where I can see you the entire flight.”

“Woojin,” Jihoon finally spoke and the other stopped talking to look at him, “It’s really you?”

“The one and only,” he laughed, “Granted I’m not supposed to be sitting down right now, but my coworker is distracting the pilots while I have a second to talk to you. The person who was supposed to sit here is about to board the plane so I have to go but when we land, can we get something to eat?”

“You’re asking me,” Jihoon laughed in disbelief, “if we can get something to eat after this plane lands. How long is this flight by the way?”

“Well,” Woojin puffed out his cheeks, something Jihoon missed watching him do, “Your flight is actually rescheduled completely. You’ll be going from here to Boston and then from Boston to Seattle. I’m technically  _ off  _ of work in Boston but Daehwi gave me this ticket from there to Seattle and I’m pretty sure it’s right next to you.”

“He’s good,” Jihoon laughed. Woojin stood at that and winked at Jihoon as one last passenger boarded the plane. A tall woman sat next to Jihoon and automatically plugged in her own headphones, oblivious to the staring between the flight attendant and her seatmate. This was going to be a long flight.

 

As soon as the plane touched down in Boston, Jihoon felt his breath even out. Landings sucked, but they also meant being close to the ground. This time landing also meant being closer to Woojin. The entire flight was torture for Jihoon because he couldn’t keep his eyes off of the other. He was tanner this time, his skin a lively contrast against the white of the plane and his white shirt. He was cordial and warm towards the other passengers and while Jihoon was able to enjoy the sight, his own heart was also cold at the fact that he was also so close but he couldn’t be  _ with  _ him quite yet.

He waited by the gate, his feet bouncing excitedly as he looked every few seconds for Woojin to climb off of the plane. While he waited, he texted Youngmin the update and laughed at the photo they sent in reply to congratulate the two on finally meeting up again. He had a lot of questions and he had a feeling that Woojin would be elusive to answering them right away. He had always been like that since they went to boarding school together. He kept a little bit of that mischievous behavior in him and all the while he felt as if they were stealing pieces of their lives to slowly shape who they really were. Jihoon felt his heart racing when he saw the last of the passengers file through and the door remain open for a second for the flight attendants to get off. 

Another message rang through on his phone and when he looked down he felt an overgrown sense of gratefulness.

_ From Daehwi: _ _   
_ _ You’re welcome, Jihoon. _

Jihoon sent a quick thank you back along with a few kissing emojis that he had started to favor in the past couple of weeks. 

When Woojin finally got off the plane, Jihoon’s heart soared higher than the plane they were just on was. He looked so good in his dark wash pants and tight white button up. He barely had a second to look for Jihoon before the older was crashing into Woojin’s arms. Jihoon dug his face into his neck and took a deep breath in, getting comfortable with Woojin’s recognizable scent again. Woojin squeezed him back and lifted him up a little bit, their bodies reacting to each other as if it was natural.

For Jihoon, it was natural. To be near Woojin and to be around him was as natural as could be. There was a sense of an almost  _ belonging _ when he was around Woojin. Every year he lived without him was a burden of torture. They were young in comparison to Daehwi but still had lived so many lives that Jihoon wouldn’t know how he could do it  _ without  _ Woojin. 

He wanted to know, no, he  _ needed  _ to know if Woojin felt the same. The same nagging voice in his brain that had explained that he would always love Woojin more than Woojin loved him flooded his brain. When he pulled away from their hug, he could feel everybody staring at them, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Woojin was grinning wildly at Jihoon and his snaggletooth was on show just for him.

“I’ve missed you so much,” Jihoon muttered, just to where they could hear it.

“Yeah our last life wasn’t much fair was it?” Woojin pulled away further and moved out of the way from the gate door. “I still have to gather my stuff and everything so you’ll have to wait at the gate for me but walk me to security?”

“Of course,” Jihoon nodded and grabbed Woojin’s hand, the feeling so warm against his skin. Woojin squeezed his hand and they started to head towards the security checkpoint. “You’re right. Our last life was purely torture for me.”

“Was there ever a time that you were like that? Where I had to take care of you?” Woojin asked, “Some of my memories aren’t fully back yet. I’m missing full lifetimes.”

“There was a couple of times I would get really sick near the end of our life. If it went past my birthday and we were waiting until yours, I would get very sick and you took care of me a lot,” Jihoon nodded, “But it wasn’t as bad as what you went through.”

“Being blind isn’t bad,” Woojin shrugged, “It took a lot to get used to, but after a few years I got used to it. Not being able to see you though, that hurt.”

“I couldn’t imagine not being able to see you,” Jihoon let out a long sigh. As he did, they walked past a small family. The mom pulled her child closer and turned them away from Woojin and Jihoon as she did so. 

“What I don’t understand though,” Woojin grumbled, “is how people are so homophobic this day and age. They really don’t know how  _ gay _ everybody in history really was do they?”

“Oh god no,” Jihoon laughed.

“I missed your laugh,” Woojin muttered as they approached the gate. “I just really missed you.”

“I missed you too,” Jihoon nodded. He pulled Woojin in for another hug and squeezed tighter than before. Woojin lingered in their hug for a few seconds and Jihoon took another deep breath.

“I’ll be right there. Gate A13. Just go and get us a seat, okay?” Woojin’s voice was low in Jihoon’s ear and a shiver ran through his spine as he stepped away, nodding as they seperated. Woojin squeezed Jihoon’s hand for the last time and stepped into security, leaving Jihoon in the concourse alone. He turned, a sigh leaving his body as he moved to find their new gate. They still had an hour until boarding but Jihoon wouldn’t care if they left hours later. If he had all the time in this life with Woojin, he wouldn’t care if they were sitting in an airport for the rest of it. 

Once he reached the gate, he took a seat in a far corner, moving to look at every new person who walked by. It didn’t feel real. Most lives took a work of some mythical God just to meet Woojin. Their life in the 80’s seemed like a paradise in the basement of hell. They had a good month this time where they were able to live in a peaceful bubble of bliss.

Jihoon pretended that their life was going to keep going this time around. He pretended that Woojin knew and he could just ignore the expiration date that seemed to be looming around the corner. That was until that night.

When Jihoon left Woojin’s side to go get drinks for all of them, he immediately regretted it. He had a sense that that night he would be leaving Woojin behind and as much as he wished he could regret going out that night, he didn’t because Woojin had made him feel so safe and loved up until the last moment.

_ “Three beers please,” Jihoon did the math in his head about who would share what beer and gave the bartender a twenty. He turned to the side, looking for Woojin the crowd of people cheering on the eccentric band.  _

_ “You here alone?” a voice next to him spoke. Jihoon turned to face a taller man, his eyes glowing in the dark bar. His first instinct was to run far away from him but Jihoon prided himself on giving everybody a chance no matter their appearance.  _

_ “No. I’m here with my boyfriend,” Jihoon gestured over to where Woojin was standing, singing out the lyrics with Youngmin. A grin blossomed over Jihoon’s face as he watched his boyfriend. _

_ “Him? Really?” the guy snorted, “He’s a loser.” _

_ Jihoon swallowed thickly and turned to the guy again, “What’s your name?” _

_ “Joongji,” he stuck out his hand and Jihoon lifted up the three beers to signify that his hands were full. “Oh yeah.” _

_ “I’m gonna get back to my loser boyfriend now Joongji,” Jihoon grimaced. “Thanks for your time.” _

_ “Hey wait,” Joongji grabbed Jihoon’s elbow and tugged gently, “I just meant that you’re really pretty and he’s… well you’re out of his league.” _

_ “I’m more in his league than you would think. In fact we’re the only ones in our league,” Jihoon set down the beers. “I’m telling you this now. Find somebody else to hit on for tonight.” _

_ Joongji stood up and tightened his grip on Jihoon’s elbow, “No.” _

If Jihoon could remember anything else after that, he didn’t want to. He could feel the lingering cold blade go across his neck but after that, it seemed blurry and not real. When he was fifteen, his AP psychology teacher in high school did a week long study on Jung Joongji or rather how everybody else knew him,  _ The Boystown Murderer _ . It was weird for people to see photos of what Jihoon looked like in the past life.

Daehwi had once explained to Jihoon that everybody who wasn’t a life hopper saw them slightly different than their true appearance really was. Woojin’s photo back then in the newspapers made him look like he was a taller, more bulky young man with a shorter face. It was Woojin’s face, but something was off. When they showed Jihoon’s head (that was a traumatic experience for him and honestly when their teacher said they would be showing the bodies even though you could look away if you honestly wanted to or even go outside for that portion of the class, he should’ve), he could see that his skin seemed more blotchy than he remembered and his eyes seemed to be a different shape. In turn, the only thing they had similar was their name, but nobody blinked an eye at that.

Jihoon took a lot of restless nights getting over how that life ended. He tried to focus solely on the good parts, but that life was… difficult to get over.

“Hey,” Woojin broke him of his thoughts and when Jihoon looked over, he was changed out of his uniform and into something a bit more casual. He was wearing an old battered up  _ The Surge  _ t-shirt over a red and white striped long sleeved shirt and a pair of skinny jeans. “Miss me?”

Jihoon’s breath hitched and he remembered why he was doing better than other murdered victims would’ve been if they woke up in another life with all their memories, “More than you would ever know.”

Woojin cupped Jihoon’s face and leaned in, a smile spreading across his face as he pressed his lips against Jihoon’s own. He could feel his heart racing as Woojin leaned into the kiss. His hand on Jihoon’s cheek felt like fire melting ice, slowly but in a way that left nothing but a puddle of warm water in its path. Jihoon pulled away, his breath hitching as he heard the low whine coming from Woojin.

“I missed that,” Woojin finally coughed out. Jihoon blushed and grabbed Woojin’s hand, trying to distract himself.

“So where do you live technically?” he asked.

“All over,” Woojin shrugged. “My license says Boston but I stay with Seonho and Guanlin in Seattle and then I also stay with another flight attendant here in Boston.”

Jihoon’s eyebrow perked up at that, “Seonho and Guanlin? How old are they here?”

‘Late twenties?” Woojin thought for a second, “It’s weird. I’m used to them being younger than us.”

“I’ve learned to never get used to anything here,” Jihoon pulled out his phone and showed Woojin the picture of Youngmin and Donghyun, “They’re like fifteen and sixteen now.”

“Jesus,” Woojin squinted at them. 

“Is your eyesight still pretty bad?” Jihoon turned to look at Woojin as he blinked. Woojin nodded, pulling out a pair of glasses from his backpack.

“These are my actual glasses. I’m just wearing contacts right now,” he handed them over and grinned, “Go ahead. Try them on. Everybody usually does.”

Jihoon grabbed the glasses from Woojin and slid them on his face. He tried to blink to get used to them but his vision was still blurry and unfocused. When he blinked again, his head started to hurt, giving him a headache in just seconds. “Jesus Christ.”

“Yeah,” Woojin rubbed the back of his head, “Daehwi said my regular vision will probably be back to normal in the next lifetime. Apparently I just hit my head really hard.”

Jihoon grimaced, “I’m sorry you had to go out like that.”

“Don’t be,” Woojin wrapped his arm around Jihoon’s waist, “It brought me to you again. Even if our last life was short and shitty. How did you leave that life by the way?”

“On the way to your funeral and the rain was really bad so my parents got into an accident. I died instantly,” Jihoon muttered, leaning into Woojin’s touch almost as if it was natural, “Speaking of which, have you thought about Joongji by the way?”

“Who?” Woojin’s eyebrows met in the middle as he tilted his head in confusion.

Jihoon frowned, “The Boystown-”

“Oh,” Woojin interrupted and rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, “No. I’d rather not.”

Jihoon nodded. He understood perfectly. That had to have been a really hard time for Woojin since there was so much going on for him during that time.

_ “Flight headed out to Seattle will be boarding now. If you have priority boarding, you will be up first. All those with children or disabilities may go ahead and board now,”  _ a voice came over the gate speaker and Woojin stood, holding out his hand for Jihoon. When he looked up, it was as if an angel was glancing down at him. There was a light directly behind Woojin’s head, a faux halo surrounding the crown of his head.

“I love you,” Jihoon pulled himself up and laced his fingers with Woojin’s.

Woojin looked surprised, a laugh leaving his mouth as he pressed his lips against Jihoon’s temple. Jihoon leaned into the kiss and grabbed his bag on the ground when Woojin pulled away. They walked towards the gate entrance and handed both of their tickets over. Jihoon wanted to save a moment like this in his mind forever. He couldn’t believe that Woojin was actually in front of him and remembered as much as he did.

It was the bliss he had been chasing after for centuries.

 

When they landed in Seattle, Woojin had to shake Jihoon awake. They both were pretty worn out from the excitement of seeing each other, but Woojin had gotten to watch Jihoon pass out within seconds of the plane taking off. Jihoon let a breath escape his lips and he rubbed his eyes to clear his vision. When he turned to look at Woojin, he was staring at him with a smile on his face.

“What?” Jihoon slumped after stretching. 

“Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?” Woojin’s voice was low and Jihoon felt a blush creep up his neck.

“Why are you so cheesy now?” Jihoon muttered under his breath.

“Do you not like the romantic side of me?” Woojin looked at the front of the plane as the flight attendant opened the plane door and started to let people off. He stood, grabbing both his and Jihoon’s bag.

“No,” Jihoon shook his head, “I’m not used to it. Usually I have to woo you.”

Jihoon reached for his bag but Woojin wouldn’t let him take it, “Let me have a couple centuries where I’m chasing after you then.”

They bickered playfully as they got off the plane, the two of them pushing each other slightly. As soon as they left the gate, Jihoon felt somebody walking next to them. He turned to the side, catching the same smirk he was starting to get sick of seeing. 

“Daehwi,” Jihoon laughed, “Nice of you to join us.”

“Nice of the  _ both _ of you to be here,” Daehwi grinned, his youthful face gleaming, “Are you both good now? Do I have to keep interfering to get you two to meet?”

“Not right now. Think we’re good,” Woojin coughed awkwardly and Jihoon squeezed his hand.

“Good. I’ll be gone for a bit and if either of you need me, I’ll be enjoying my vacation,” Daehwi sighed. “So don’t need me.”

Jihoon laughed, “Sounds like a plan. We’ll start that now.”

Daehwi glared at the two before moving in front of them to stop them from walking, “Before I forget, this is on me. Think of it as a gift for finally getting your shit together. Open it when I’m gone.”

Jihoon looked down and took the bag out of Daehwi’s outstretched hand. It was pretty heavy and Jihoon raised a questioning eyebrow in Daehwi’s direction. He lifted a hand as to say not to question him and looked back behind him. There was a tall, small faced man leaning against a beam a couple feet away and Daehwi moved to go towards him. When a few people passed between Daehwi and where Jihoon and Woojin were, he disappeared, along with the tall man. 

“Open it,” Woojin nudged Jihoon. He opened the bag and glanced to look inside. On top was a piece of paper. Jihoon pulled it out, pushing the bag down his arm so it was hanging off of it so he could read what it said. When he unfolded the paper, there was an email confirmation to a hotel in downtown Seattle. 

“The total to this hotel is over a grand, Woojin,” Jihoon’s mouth went dry and Woojin went to grab the paper to look for himself. Jihoon handed it over and looked back into the bag to get the rest of the present out. There was another email to confirm a car rental along with the keys. Underneath that were the three books his grandfather had sent him to get. 

Everything started to click at this point.

“Fucker,” Jihoon grumbled, “Planned this whole trip. Probably even planned on me being late.”

Woojin laughed, “Wouldn’t doubt that.”

“Hey,” Jihoon pouted as he shoved Woojin’s shoulder, ‘You’re supposed to be on my side.”

“Sorry babe,” Woojin leaned forward and left a kiss on Jihoon’s forehead. His face grew hot at the word  _ babe _ and glared upwards at the slightly taller of the two.

“Can we go now? We have a nice hotel to get to,” Jihoon wrapped his hand in Woojin’s and pulled him towards the exit.

 

The car was too nice for Jihoon to even consider how much Daehwi had to spend on all of this, if he even spent money on any of this. Jihoon gave up trying to figure out how Daehwi lived or what he did to even pay for anything he planned. Once they were in the car and Jihoon was comfortable in the passenger’s seat he finally looked over to Woojin who was squinting at the rental agreement before he started the car.

“Is it okay if we take this stuff? I feel a little guilty,” Woojin muttered.

“He did call it a gift,” Jihoon reasoned, “There’s no real reason why Daehwi does anything but if it’s him being nice to us for once, I’ll take it.”

“He’s not  _ that _ bad,” Woojin shrugged as he put the key into the ignition and started the car.

“He told me in our last life that I was a mushroom headed idiot for a twelve year old,” Jihoon sighed. “I wasn’t even twelve. I was eight.”

“Alright he’s a little bad,” Woojin laughed, “But that was good.”

“My mom then gave me a bad haircut!” Jihoon scoffed. He pouted and turned away from Woojin.

“I bet it looked cute,” Woojin backed out of the parking lot and started to head towards the exit of the airport. Jihoon pulled out his phone and typed in the address of the hotel. When the information for the hotel pulled up on his maps app, his eyes almost fell out of his head.

“This hotel is five stars and in downtown Seattle. Is Daehwi crazy?” Jihoon muttered, looking back down to his phone.

“Yes,” Woojin laughed, “That much is true.”

Jihoon memorized the way Woojin laughed yet again and felt his heart flip in his throat. He wasn’t used to having Woojin so close and so in tune with how Jihoon himself was feeling. He looked over, his eyes glazing over as he took in Woojin’s side profile. He would never get tired of looking at him, and getting to say  _ this is who I get to spend forever with _ .

 

When they got to the hotel, Jihoon’s face was stuck in permanent disbelief. Fairmont Olympic Hotel was possibly one of the most beautiful hotels that Jihoon had ever stepped foot in. The front of the place was already gorgeous as is but the lobby put everything else to shame. The gold and brown undertones to the interior walls counteracted the blue couches and chairs that sat in the lobby. The woman at the front desk greeted them instantly and Woojin took the initiative to check them in. 

Jihoon had finally registered the conversation to overhear the words,  _ “Signature suite with a partial sea view,”  _ leave the receptionist’s mouth. His head snapped over and he looked at Woojin sign a form. “Did you say suite?”

“Yes, with a king sized bed. Is that correct?” She looked between the two and Jihoon nodded silently. He may have lived as a prince, as wealthy, and everything of the sort that  _ could  _ afford places like this, but he had never had the privilege to stay in a place like this. He had never lived long enough. When he looked up at Woojin, the same thought seemed to be passing through his mind because he grabbed Jihoon’s hand and squeezed gently, a warm and pleased smile greeting Jihoon.

“Yes,” Woojin nodded, finally turning back to the receptionist, “That’s correct.”

 

When they reached the eleventh floor with the bellhop following behind with their bags, Jihoon’s head was spinning. The past twelve hours alone were so strange and so out of place for his usual bout of bad luck that he would have around this point in his life (in the rare instances that he made it this far). They opened up the room with their key and took a step in; both of them were silent as they looked over the size of the room.

“Here are your bags. Let us know if you need anything else,” the bellhop unloaded the cart and Woojin shook his hand, handing him a twenty as he did so. He left and Jihoon raised an eyebrow to the other.

“What?” Woojin smirked.

“Are you trying to impress me? Did you plan this with Daehwi?” Jihoon asked, “You seem pretty cool with all of this.”

Woojin laughed, “I wouldn’t go this crazy just for you.”

“Oh I’m wounded,” Jihoon mocked as he sat on the couch with his backpack and pulled out his laptop. “If you don’t mind, I do have to check in with my grandfather and tell him I have the books and I’ll have to log them really quickly.”

“I wanna check out the rest of the room anyways,” Woojin nodded. He started to walk away as Jihoon pulled out his phone but took quick small steps towards Jihoon and pressed a kiss against his lips too quickly. Before Jihoon could react he was already walking away again, a smug grin plastered on his face.

“Hello?” Jihoon’s grandfather’s voice knocked him back onto track, “Jihoon?”

“Ah yes,” Jihoon coughed awkwardly.

“Did you get to your hotel okay?” he asked.

“Actually,” Jihoon scratched the back of his head, “I ran into a friend of mine. He was already staying in the city in this, uh, really nice hotel. I’m actually staying with him for now. Do you mind calling the other hotel and canceling? We might get some of our money back.”

“A friend?” his grandfather’s voice lilted at the end to insinuate something else. “Is this the same friend you’ve known for a while but haven’t met in quite some time?”

Jihoon had alluded about Woojin to his grandfather in just a way that would make sense in this lifetime. His grandfather was actually very reassuring and comforting to talk to so Jihoon relied on him a lot.

“Yes,” Jihoon laughed awkwardly, “And we’re catching up quite a lot. I made a point to stop and get the books first so I’ve already got them.”

“Good,” his grandfather sighed, “Then take your time. Enjoy this sort of vacation.”

“Thanks,” Jihoon smiled, “I’ll log the books before I forget.”

“Have a nice few days Jihoon,” his grandfather hung up after that and Jihoon went on to log the books into their online system. Jihoon had helped develop the idea a couple years back that would help his grandfather find which books they had and the condition they were in without even leaving his office. It had helped tremendously and Jihoon kept it running ever since. Right before his nineteenth birthday, he had made sure his grandfather knew how to use it himself just in case something happened. Now he knew he would be around for years to help him with it.

“I’m gonna take a shower,” Woojin walked back into their living room. “We should go out to eat tonight.”

“What are you thinking?” Jihoon peered up at he stopped breathing for a second. Woojin was in just his jeans now. He had stripped of both of his shirts and Jihoon had forgotten that he was naturally built. In some lives, Woojin had more muscle than others, but this time he was in the best shape Jihoon had ever seen. His eyes traced every ab and every crevice of his chest.

“Did you hear anything I just said Jihoon?” Woojin smirked.

“No,” Jihoon’s cheeks erupted a bright red. Woojin let out a laugh, earning a scowl from the other. Jihoon didn’t want to admit out loud how insanely attracted he was to Woojin, although there was no reason for him  _ not  _ to. If there was a point in time for Jihoon to open up completely emotionally to Woojin about everything he had been feeling for centuries,  _ now _ would definitely not be the time or place-not with Woojin’s chest on display for Jihoon to see.

“I said Italian sounds pretty good. What do you think?” Woojin leaned against the entryway, his laughter dying away.

“Sounds good to me,” Jihoon broke his eyes away and focused on the computer again, willing his own blush to go away. He started on the first book and began examining it. When he opened it, a large envelope fell out and Jihoon felt his life-long migraine conveniently nicknamed Daehwi grow twice the size. “Daehwi left us money too.”

Woojin peered back around the corner, “How much?”

“At least two grand,” Jihoon flipped through the envelope, his heart pounding at every hundred bill he flipped past. “Oh there’s a note.”

“Read it to me,” Woojin went back into the bathroom, leaving the door open this time.

Jihoon raised his voice slightly to make sure Woojin could still hear him, “He says, and I’m guessing he means this lovingly,  _ “Here’s enough for you two to enjoy a week together. Don’t bother me. Start planning your annoying sappy lovey life together.’ _ So sweet.”

“He has a way with words,” Woojin chuckled.

“Yeah, if that way is straight and to the point,” Jihoon shot back before turning back to his books. “Does he think we’re both extremely broke this time around? I had enough to last me for at least two weeks here.”

“Two weeks?” Woojin asked.

“I always come with extra money from my grandfather just in case it’s tough acquiring the books,” Jihoon explained. “Hurry up and shower. I still need to when I’m done with these logs.”

“Why don’t you just join me?” Woojin peaked his head back around the corner and Jihoon threw one of the pillows from the couch at him, “I’ll take that as a no.”

“Just be quick,” Jihoon forced out, his cheeks a bright red again.

 

When Jihoon finished with his shower and getting dressed, he was certain that he would walk out from the bathroom and Woojin would be gone. Everything had felt like a dream to him. He was waiting for him to wake up and be right back home Woojin-less and miserable.

Instead, he was met with Woojin, dressly sharped in a nice pair of black skinny jeans and a button up shirt. Jihoon had chose something similar himself and he smiled to himself at the thought of how in tune they were with each other.

Woojin looked up at Jihoon at the sound of the bathroom door opening and his eyes traced down the other’s figure. “You look… wow.”

“Wow?” Jihoon raised an eyebrow and walked over to his suitcase. He opened it and searched for a sports coat he usually saved for nice dinners out with prospective sellers. He never knew he would be wearing it out with Woojin.

Jihoon tried to push the rest of his sappy thoughts to the back of his brain, a sense of normality surfacing as he did. He’s known Woojin his entire life; there would be no grasping for a normal conversation this time with him. He’d be able to talk freely all he wanted. 

“Have you found a restaurant yet?” Jihoon asked Woojin, the two of them meeting eyes as Jihoon pulled on the coat. Woojin nodded but mimed him zipping his mouth closed. “Why are you so god damn cheesy?”

“It’s more fun that way,” Woojin let out an airy laugh and walked across the room to Jihoon. He wrapped his arm around Jihoon’s waist, closing the distance between the two of them. A kiss erupted between the two of them, and Jihoon could feel his entire heart explode. “Now come on, before we’re late.”

“Late? To what?” Jihoon’s eyebrows met in the middle from confusion. Woojin pulled away, a large smirk on his face as he moved to grab the rest of things for them to leave.

 

When they got into the car, Woojin kept with the air of surprise by turning on the radio right away and refusing to speak. Instead, he drove with one hand on the wheel, the other gripping onto Jihoon’s own hand, kissing his knuckles whenever he could. Jihoon kept begging for some kind of answer before they got there, but Woojin’s lips remained closed and locked in a permanent smirk.

“I swear to any god out there Woojin if you don’t tell me where we’re going  _ right now- _ ” Jihoon started, his patience wearing thin.

“If you’d shut up, you’d see right now,” Woojin laughed. Jihoon looked out the front window to see a long alleyway next to where they were parked. “Well, you can’t see it from here but come on.”

Jihoon stayed silent as they left the car and started down the long alleyway. He wrapped his hand in Woojin’s who gripped onto his tightly. There was a loaded quietness between them as Jihoon walked behind Woojin up to a gray building with pink windows and a pink door. There were no signs or any other markers to identify what the building was.

“Okay, are  _ you  _ going to kill me?” Jihoon finally stopped walking as Woojin started to make his way up to the door.

Woojin let out a bark of laughter, “No. Just trust me.”

And the fucking crazy part was? Jihoon would _ always _ trust Woojin.

So when they walked in the front door, Jihoon was overjoyed when he wasn’t met with a murderous sight. Instead, there was a large dining room full of tables covered in light pink tablecloths and walls decorated with assorted mirrors and twenties style artwork. Jihoon followed the artwork to a large wall of windows that showed off a large view of the pier just near them, including a large lit up ferris wheel. 

“Oh,” Jihoon let out softly.

“See,” Woojin squeezed his hand, “I’m not murdering you today.”

“Thank god,” Jihoon rolled his eyes as they walked up to the host. 

“Reservation for Park Woojin?” Woojin asked, his voice soft in the quiet restaurant. The host nodded and picked up a couple of menus for them as they made their way to a table by the windows. Jihoon couldn’t help but laugh at just how amazing Woojin truly was. 

“I hate you,” Jihoon commented as soon as they were sat.

“Wine?” Woojin ignored him. “I enjoy red wine myself but it’s up to you.”

“When did you have time to schedule a  _ reservation  _ at one of the sketchiest but nicest restaurants I’ve ever been to?” Jihoon repaid the favor. 

“When you were in the shower,” Woojin finally peered over the wine list he had picked up. Jihoon snatched it from him and watched as his face twisted humorously. “Like Daehwi said, let’s enjoy this trip.”

At that, Woojin leaned over and grabbed one of Jihoon’s hands between both of his own, tracing outlines into his palm. Jihoon shivered, but allowed him to do so as he glanced over the list of wine. He let out a sigh and put the list down, pointing to one of the wines, “This one.”

“Amarone?” Woojin barely looked at what Jihoon pointed at before looking back up at him, “Good choice.”

“Are you some kind of wine connoisseur now?” Jihoon teased, resting his chin in his free hand.

“Of the sort,” Woojin scrunched his nose. “Another flight attendant I work with likes to go on wine tours and I went once just to see what it was like and I really liked it. So I went a couple more times with her.”

“Oh?” Jihoon raised an eyebrow and leaned forward. “Romantic wine tours?”

Woojin’s face fell as he met Jihoon’s teasing glance, “Not like that Jihoon. She’s a huge lesbian.”

Jihoon let out a laugh as he put a hand over his mouth to cover it, “I know you Woojin. You’re fine. I was just teasing.”

“I know. I just,” Woojin grabbed Jihoon’s hand and started to squeeze lightly, “I spent so long in the dark, and so much of it, I know you suffered. In that entire time, I was never  _ with  _ somebody else and I want you to know that. I’ve always been subconsciously yours for centuries. I just feel so guilty even thinking about being with anybody else.”

Jihoon felt a little shocked at Woojin’s sudden confession, his eyes wide as he felt his mouth drop open, “Woojin.”

“Sorry,” Woojin sniffed, hiding any sign of crying he might’ve let slip loose. “I didn’t mean to get depressing on you.”

Jihoon grabbed his hands and tugged lightly, gaining Woojin’s attention, “I’ve always trusted you. I’ve always loved you. I’ve always been  _ yours _ .”

Woojin’s eyes widened and he gaped at the other. He swallowed, leaning forward with a sad smile gracing his face, “I’m sorry it took me so long.”

“Don’t be,” Jihoon gave him his own sad smile, pressing a kiss on the back of one of Woojin’s hands. “I have you now.”

  
  


Woojin shoved an empty plate in front of him, pushing away his half drank glass of wine as well, “That… was amazing.”

“I don’t even want to see the bill,” Jihoon groaned, pulling out a couple of the hundreds from their Daehwi envelope as he chewed on his last bite. “Just give them this and tell them to keep the change.”

“Sounds good to me,” Woojin hummed, taking the book with their bill in it. Jihoon stood, stretching a bit as he waited for Woojin to join him. “You want any desert?”

“You’re still hungry?” Jihoon raised an eyebrow and rested his hands on the back of Woojin’s chair. Woojin nodded and looked up at him, a glint in his eye that Jihoon didn’t recognize right away. He shook his head and lightly pulled on a few strands of Woojin’s hair. He could see the small goosebumps rise on the back of his neck and he smirked knowing he made Woojin react just from  _ that _ .

“I was thinking just some ice cream,” Woojin sighed into the touch and leaned back, letting his head hit Jihoon’s stomach. “I have to pick up some toiletries since you know, this entire trip was pretty much spontaneous for me.”

“You mean you don’t always have an entire bag packed just for spontaneous trips all the time? Weird,” Jihoon grinned, wrapping his arms around Woojin’s neck loosely. 

Woojin hummed and shook his head, “You can go to this ice cream place up the road while I run to Walgreens. Just get me something s’mores related.”

“Are you sure?” Jihoon asked, a prick of panic running up his spine. Being with Woojin this entire time made Jihoon wary to split with him. At this point, it would take a huge act of courage just to go back home and live a normal life. They couldn’t stay in the hotel forever, as much as Jihoon would love that. At some point he had to go back to his grandfather and Woojin would have to go back to work.

_ Work. _

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Woojin sighed into Jihoon’s touch and looked up at him, “You okay?”

“When do you have to back to work?” he asked, a little scared of the answer.

Woojin blinked, obviously surprised at the question as he broke free of Jihoon’s arms. He stood, pulling them out of the restaurant without another word to answer Jihoon’s question. They stood outside of the door, a tension-filled silence greeting them as soon as the door behind them closed, “I don’t really have to.”

“What do you mean?” Jihoon’s head tilted in a questioning glance.

“I mean like, yes it’s my job, but oh my god,” Woojin ran a hand through his hair, “I was going to talk to you about this  _ later _ but of course you would think of this now.”

“Woojin,” Jihoon’s voice was clipped and the other glanced to look up at him with worry laced in between his eyes.

“No, I didn’t mean it like  _ that.  _ Like you just, you’re always thinking of everything so I should’ve known to ease your worry later on. I just meant, that maybe, like, I don’t know. Maybe I could quit,” Woojin breathed out.

There was another silence as Jihoon digested exactly what Woojin had started rambling about. He would quit? Woojin would quit and do what exactly? Live with Jihoon and his grandfather? That wasn’t exactly ideal since the two of them basically were squeezed into the tiny ass apartment above the book shop. “What is your plan after that then?”

Woojin could tell that Jihoon was overthinking everything. He let out an exasperated, long sigh and wrapped his fingers around Jihoon’s hand, tugging him towards the ice cream shop. “I mean I’m not sure. What I am sure of is that I don’t want to have to separate anymore. I’m sick of being away from you and I can tell that you feel the same.”

Jihoon scoffed, “Actually I think I’m getting sick of you.”

“Tough shit,” Woojin threw back, a playful smile easing its way on his face.

“I am worried though,” Jihoon sighed, “I don’t want to leave you. Ever. Like I know that sounds clingy and stupid as shit because literally no matter what, we’re always gonna find each other, but, and fuck I sound stupid, I just want peace and quiet with you for once. No murderers, no palace fights, no peace rallies, no guards chasing me down, no fires, no death, just for once.”

“That’s not stupid Jihoon. You’re not being stupid,” Woojin lifted their joined hands and kissed against Jihoon’s knuckles. “You’ll never be stupid for wanting that. Fuck I want that.”

“Good,” Jihoon sighed, “but we have to be smart about it. You can’t just up and quit your job and then have nowhere to go because there is no room in my grandfather’s stupidly small apartment for all three of us to live.”

“What if I stay at my job long enough for us to get an apartment somewhere? Close to your grandfather’s shop?” Woojin chewed on his bottom lip, a habit Jihoon noticed he did a lot when he was deep in thought, “Then I could get a job anywhere. It doesn’t matter as long as we’re together.”

“Or you could just help out at the shop,” Jihoon shrugged, “We have enough in the budget for somebody else right now, but you have to wait until we could get an apartment.”

“I could do that. Visit you on my weekends. I’m sure two days out of the week we could be a little crowded,” Woojin’s eyes lit up at that, “I would love to meet your family this time.”

“Just my grandfather,” Jihoon shook his head, and looked up at the building Woojin had stopped suddenly in front of him. There was a large square above the door split into four sections, colored green, yellow, blue, and red. “My family isn’t all that supportive of me. Except for my grandfather.” 

“I’d love to meet him,” Woojin let out a soft hum before gesturing towards the door, “Go ahead and go in. I’m pretty sure they have this s’mores sundae and I want that. I’ll be back in like ten minutes if you want to meet me at the car.”

“Okay,” Jihoon’s nerves flared back up and he pulled Woojin in for a small, soft kiss. He already felt nervous about being affectionate in person, but it was 2018 and everything was a bit more progressive now. Woojin smiled as he pulled away, and then sent him in with the same, dopey yet happy smile. 

 

Jihoon had forgotten one, simple thing. He had no way of calling Woojin to ask him how much longer he would be. He was standing by their car, two ice cream sundaes in hand, and looked dumb as shit without the keys to get in. His own panic set in as he realized he had no way to know if Woojin would be back soon and he tried to focus on eating his own sundae, a Norma Jeane, and evened out his breathing with each bite he timed out. There was a silence, heavy and thick in the air as each person who walked by gave him a weird glance.

“Hurry up Park Woojin or I’m going to whip your ass the next time I see you,” Jihoon spoke out into the crisp night air. That statement sent another wave of panic throughout his body because he didn’t know when the next time he would see Woojin was. Stuff like this, being left alone, usually led to Jihoon being killed in some fashion and Woojin was always the one to pick up the pieces. 

His blood started to run cold as he had to set the sundaes on the front of the hood. His vision started to blur and it felt as if he was stuck in one of those spinning rides. His heart raced, sending him to the ground as he tried to stabilize himself. Where was Woojin? The cold air turned hot against his skin and he needed to get rid of something to help him calm down. He felt cold streaks of tears running down his face. Even though he was burning up, he was shaking and almost  _ shivering _ .

Jihoon knew in the back of his mind he was having a panic attack and he needed to breathe, but the only thing he could think of was Woojin, somewhere dead and he wouldn’t know until he found him. He tried to stand, his knees wobbling as he looked around him. There was a family of five or six standing about three hundred feet from him, but nobody he could reach out to immediately to help him. His breath stopped in his throat and he started to choke, his entire vision bowing out as if he was looking at everything through a fish-eye. 

There was a shout near him that sounded similar to his name, but everything started to go black. He was trying to focus on the ground, hoping that if he went back to the ice cream shop, he would be okay and Woojin would be waiting there for him.

He took a step and the next thing he knew he was being held. His face was pressed against a hard chest, sight messed up even more as he tried to push away. He needed Woojin.

“Le-lemme go,” Jihoon’s chest felt like it was smaller than usual and he couldn’t  _ breathe _ normally. “I need- I need W-woojin.”

“ _ Jihoon! _ ” a sharp loud noise was next to his ear and he finally looked up. Woojin was in front of him. Woojin was alive. A choked sob left Jihoon’s mouth and he folded himself into the other, tears finally falling freely. “What happened?”

Jihoon shook his head and pressed himself closer to the other, unwilling to pull away until he finally calmed down. Woojin rubbed his back, letting out soothing sounds in Jihoon’s ear as he did so. He tried to match his breathing with Woojin and in time, he was finally getting to the point where he could calm down.

After about five minutes, Jihoon straightened out, trying to pull away without looking at Woojin in the eyes. Woojin pulled him back, a worried but stern glare meeting Jihoon’s meek, embarrassed face. “I don’t know what happened. I just… I felt like I wouldn’t ever see you again.”

“I’m not going to let that happen,” Woojin shook his head. “I should’ve given you my number so you could’ve called me. I’m sorry.”

Jihoon’s heart melted, “Don’t apologize. I should’ve known you would be back. I just panicked.”

“Come on,” Woojin said after a minute, pulling Jihoon close as they made their way back to the car. Jihoon let himself be pulled towards the car and when Woojin practically manhandled him into the car, handing him his own sundae, he didn’t make a peep. Woojin crawled into his own seat and put the bag from Walgreens into the back seat, sitting with his own ice cream. “What’s your sundae?”

Jihoon took a breath to stabilize his voice, “Um, the Norma Jeane. It’s got like a blondie bar, vanilla ice cream, whip cream, some carmel, this dried pear thing, and then they had like a bourbon mist.”

“How does it taste?” Woojin hummed as he licked a trail of ice cream off of his fingers. 

“Delicious,” Jihoon wanted to cry suddenly. Woojin was being so  _ perfect _ in this moment alone and he wasn’t treating Jihoon like he was weak. They were silent as they ate their own ice cream, enjoying the delicious mix of all their flavors. When they were done, Jihoon wanted to fall asleep, the night’s events taking a toll on his energy.

“You’re not weird or weak for having a panic attack,” Woojin spoke slowly, waking Jihoon up from his food coma, “I’ve had them before. Most of them were because I  _ lost  _ you. So I understand the fear and where the panic comes from.”

Jihoon was silent for a second, letting Woojin’s words sink in. “Thank you.”

“I love you,” Woojin grabbed Jihoon’s hand and leaned over to kiss Jihoon’s cheek, a small gesture that warmed his heart. Jihoon slipped a hand over to Woojin’s neck and pulled him back, closing the space to give him a proper kiss.

“I love you too.”

 

When they returned to the hotel, the air was thick with something other than tension. Jihoon couldn’t put a word to it, and when they stepped into the small elevator, he was about to burst with whatever was around them.

Woojin leaned against the wall of the elevator and pulled Jihoon close, a smirk dusting his lips. “You’re so…. beautiful.”

“You’re not too bad yourself,” Jihoon laughed, the easiness of being around Woojin elating the mood of the night. 

“Like, how did I get so lucky that I get to spend eternity with somebody so god damn  _ attractive _ ?” Woojin was raking his eyes over Jihoon, sending shivers down the other’s spine.

“I could ask the same question,” Jihoon stepped towards him, closing the gap as he pressed a hungry kiss against Woojin’s lips. He didn’t know what was spurring him to act this way but he deepened the kiss, slipping his hands against Woojin’s waist. 

“Fuck Jihoon,” Woojin groaned against Jihoon’s lips, wrapping his own arms around Jihoon’s neck.

“Is that what you’re trying to do?” Jihoon asked, raising an eyebrow suggestively.

“Maybe,” the honesty in Woojin’s voice sent a cold chill through Jihoon’s fucking veins, making him swallow harshly. 

“Maybe you should,” Jihoon breathed back, the noise of the elevator opening being the only thing that could make Jihoon pull away. He didn’t have time to react before Woojin grabbed his hand, pulling him towards their room. Jihoon full on giggled as Woojin struggled to open the door. As soon as he did, Jihoon was inside and Woojin was pressing his lips against Jihoon’s again. They kissed in the small living room for just a moment, both of their breathing melting into each other every time they pulled away. Woojin backed them towards the bedroom, his teeth taking Jihoon’s lip in between his own. 

Jihoon met Woojin’s eyes when they finally pulled away and this time he was sure that Woojin could read his mind. They stood still in the entryway between the living room and where the bedroom was, taking off their shoes as soon as they made sure they were stable. Woojin grabbed Jihoon’s hand, a soft gesture that Jihoon questioned almost instantly. It was a contrast between the look in Woojin’s eyes.

He pulled him towards the bed, situating Jihoon in between his legs as he sat at the edge of the bed. The thickness in the air translated to heavy breaths between them. Woojin straightened his back up, “Can I kiss you again?”

“You  _ never  _ have to ask,” Jihoon muttered. Woojin laced a hand behind Jihoon’s neck and brought him down to where their lips could meet. They kissed slowly at first this time, memorising the feeling of their lips on each other. Jihoon always felt as if Woojin could be named the best kisser in the entire world. He kissed Jihoon like he was fragile, but he still kissed him like he knew how to handle him. Woojin would always start the kiss softly, knowing just when to push forward and deepen the kiss. Jihoon pulled back and took Woojin’s lip in between his own teeth and pulled on it. Woojin let out a soft whimper that ultimately mesmerized Jihoon. He let go of his lip and went back to kissing his partner, only pulling away when he couldn’t breathe. Woojin moved his lips to Jihoon’s neck, leaving a few marks along the way. Woojin took a second to admire his work and smirked as multiple spots had already turned a bright red. Jihoon’s breath caught in his throat as he realized just how beautiful Woojin looked this close up and this already wrecked. Woojin closed back in on Jihoon’s lips and he took his lower lip between his teeth, scraping it softly. Jihoon let out a breathy gasp and leaned forward into Woojin. The slight shift in weight made Woojin lean back more, giving Jihoon the perfect opportunity to press them down into the bed. Jihoon straddled Woojin and pressed harder into their kiss. Woojin squirmed slightly underneath him and moved his arms to wrap around Jihoon’s waist.

Jihoon pulled away, “I love you.”

There was a silence between them as Woojin stared up at Jihoon in momentary shock. It wasn’t a shock of the words but of the timing and as he composed himself he leaned up to where he was sitting with Jihoon in his lap. Woojin leaned close to Jihoon’s ear, “I love you too.”

-x-

With that, he grabbed ahold of Jihoon and flipped them over to where he was on top of Jihoon, his arms barricading him in. Jihoon suppressed a small moan as Woojin reattached his lips along Jihoon’s throat, leaving even more marks than before. Jihoon moved his hands to the first button on the bottom of Woojin’s shirt. He worked his fingers along the buttons slowly and at the last one, Woojin took it off as fast as he could, moving to kiss Jihoon again. Jihoon moved his hands up Woojin’s chest, using that moment to appreciate every inch of his chest without Woojin teasing him.

“Lean up,” he instructed Jihoon who followed suit pretty quickly. Woojin undid the buttons of Jihoon’s own shirt and slid it off his arms, his movements following slowing down. He wrapped his arms around Jihoon’s waist again and pulled him closer. Jihoon gasped at how cold Woojin’s chest was as they fit against each other. 

Jihoon pressed a kiss against the side of Woojin’s neck and moved his hips against Woojin’s own. He could feel Woojin’s cock straining against pants and he noticed himself getting hard as well. Woojin groaned at the friction and laid Jihoon down on the bed again, his breath growing shallow as he moved down Jihoon’s chest, littering more marks as he did so.

Jihoon let out a small moan and he could feel Woojin smirking into his skin, “Shut up.”

“I’m just happy that I can make you like this,” Woojin leaned up and pressed another kiss against Jihoon’s lips. “Stop pouting.”

“I feel like I’m more affected by you than you are me,” Jihoon let out a long sigh.

Woojin groaned, leaning forward and pressing a kiss just below Jihoon’s earlobe before whispering, “You have a large effect on me but I’m just more restrained than you, babe.”

Jihoon let out a small whimper as Woojin moved his hand up to one of nipples and rubbed it lightly and slowly. He tried to hold himself back as Woojin moved his mouth down to the other one and flicked his tongue against it. He let out a sharp breath and bucked his hips up, rutting his own crotch against Woojin’s. 

“Have we done this before?” Woojin paused, looking up at Jihoon, “I don’t think we have.”

Jihoon swallowed before trying to think again, “We came close back in the eighties but nothing past what we’re doing now.”

Woojin nodded and propped himself on his elbows, trapping Jihoon between his arms, “Then I’ll have to make sure this is good. Y’know, since its our first time.”

“Overconfident much?” Jihoon smirked.

“If we’re this made for each other Jihoon, I don’t think bad sex is really going to be an outcome,” Woojin laughed and Jihoon blushed. “I like it when I make you blush.”

“I don’t!” Jihoon scoffed, pulling his hands back to cover his face.

“Oh well,” Woojin leaned down and pushed Jihoon’s hands away. He pressed another slow, agonizing kiss against Jihoon’s lips, his hands moving back to Jihoon’s side. “You sure you want to do this?”

“More than ever,” Jihoon nodded, “I wanted to wait until you remembered. I  _ needed _ you to remember.”

“Well I’m not going anywhere now,” Woojin hummed into Jihoon’s skin and suddenly his hands were on his hips, toying with his belt loops. There was a breath between the two of them before Woojin moved forward, taking this further than they’ve ever gone before.

He moved his fingers to unbutton Jihoon’s pants, taking his time to even unzip them. When Jihoon squirmed underneath him, Woojin smirked as he watched every reaction across Jihoon’s face. He pushed Jihoon’s pants down to just his thighs and moved his hand across the outline of his cock through the fabric of his boxers. Jihoon gasped at the contact and Woojin moved back down to take his pants all the way off now. He threw his pants off to the side and turned his attention back to Jihoon.

He pressed a kiss to the side of Jihoon’s dick over the cotton of his boxers and Jihoon let out another small moan, grasping the blanket below him. Every sensation he felt at that exact moment was amplified when Woojin full on  _ licked  _ his cock. Jihoon wanted desperately for Woojin to take his boxers off and engulf him completely but his voice was lost in how much his body was reacting to what Woojin was doing.

When Woojin finally looped his fingers in the waistband of his boxers and moved them down just enough for his cock to fully come out of them, Jihoon let out a loud gasp and instinctively looked up at Woojin. The second he made eye contact, he knew it was a mistake. He was grinning and moving the boxers down his legs agonizingly slowly. Once they were off, he pressed a kiss against Jihoon’s thigh, sending a wave of sensations up Jihoon’s nerves.

Woojin finally grabbed the bottom of Jihoon’s cock and moved up the bed to position himself over it. The first time he enveloped the head of his dick in his mouth, Jihoon felt like he could’ve cum then and there. Woojin licked the underside of his dick slowly and let the spit from his tongue gather on the head, mixing with the small amount of precum that he had built up. He moved his hand down and started to massage Jihoon’s thighs, pressing soft circles as he started a steady rhythm. Jihoon tried not to think about how good it felt when Woojin completely hollowed out his cheeks, flattened his tongue, and swirled it around his dick. He let out a soft bit of air and groaned, his thighs trying hard to shake under Woojin’s grip. Woojin moaned as Jihoon tugged on his hair and Jihoon could feel Woojin’s own cock press harder against his pants as he rutted against Jihoon’s leg. Looking down at Woojin with his mouth wrapped around his cock and trying to get some sort of friction, Jihoon almost came in his mouth. He wrapped his fingers tighter in Woojin’s hair and tugged lightly when he felt a heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach. 

“D-don’t wanna cum like… like that,” Jihoon muttered, his voice coming out more wrecked than he wanted it to. Woojin smirked as he moved off of his dick and moved to undo his own pants. He took them off and Jihoon finally saw just how strained his cock was against his own underwear. Jihoon pulled him closer and palmed his bulge, reveling in the way Woojin moaned and he leaned up to press a kiss against his lips. 

“Stay here,” Woojin crawled off the bed and moved to where his bag was. Jihoon could barely get enough energy to lean up and see what Woojin was doing but as soon as he could feel the dip of the bed next to him, he moved his head to the side. Woojin was carrying a bottle of lube.

“Why do you have that?” Jihoon asked, a concerning glare crossing his face.

“Believe it or not,” Woojin laughed, rubbing the back of his neck, “I got it while you were getting ice cream.”

“Were you that confident in yourself?” Jihoon’s face softened and he let a teasing smile loose.

“Just overly hopeful,” Woojin moved back to being on top of Jihoon, his lips pressing onto Jihoon’s forcefully. Jihoon lapped it up and Woojin pumped Jihoon a couple of times before moving to pull his own underwear down. Jihoon groaned at the loss of contact as Woojin moved down to between his legs. “Just… know I’ve never done this before.”

“Neither have I, Woojin. My expectations aren’t crazy high,” Jihoon let out a long breath. Woojin took the bottle of lube and coated a finger with a little bit of it. He pressed a kiss to Jihoon’s hip and moved his finger to the edge of his rim, slowly entering it. Jihoon let out a moan at the foreign contact, not knowing if he was weirded out by the feeling or if he actually enjoyed it. 

“I’m gonna add another finger,” Woojin muttered, looking up at Jihoon. He pulled out, coating another finger and Jihoon practically whimpered at the loss of contact. Woojin couldn’t help but stare at how Jihoon was automatically begging for Woojin to fill him again. It took him a second to register that Jihoon was waiting for him, asking him to touch him again. He pushed both fingers in again and started to scissor them. He kept the pace going and began to curl his fingers as Jihoon adjusted underneath him.

“I’ll let you know if you hurt me,” Jihoon assured him. Woojin nodded and pushed further. Jihoon let out a loud moan and Woojin froze, practically in awe of the noise that left his mouth. “Right th-there.”

Woojin repeated his menstrations and felt his jaw drop as Jihoon let out another loud moan, “I like it when you’re that loud.”

Jihoon let a laugh slip as he pushed back onto Woojin’s fingers, “Then keep doing what you’re doing, you fucker.”

Woojin didn’t have to be told twice. He put all his concentration in moving his fingers in and out and scissoring them to the point where Jihoon was a mess beneath him. When Woojin pulled his fingers out and replaced it with his tongue, Jihoon lost it. He let out every moan that pulled in his chest. Woojin returned his fingers and kept his tongue with them, working to hit the one spot Jihoon reacted to immensely.

“Wo-Woojin,” Jihoon sputtered out, his hand going into his own hair. He wanted to touch himself and let himself cum but he desperately wanted to feel Woojin inside him before he even tried that.

“Are you ready for me baby?” Woojin pulled away and watched Jihoon nod slowly, “I’ll go slow I promise.”

“Like you-you’ve been going any other speed,” Jihoon could barely get his words out now and he just wanted Woojin to feel the same way. Woojin pumped his own cock a few times as he readied himself. Jihoon watched the whole ordeal with hooded eyes, a soft moan escaping his mouth.

Woojin coated his dick with some lube and positioned himself in front of Jihoon. He pressed it slowly, feeling the way Jihoon’s muscles clenched around him sending him in a fit of pleasure himself. He moaned and leaned close to press a kiss against the other’s neck. Jihoon’s face contorted between pain and pleasure. Woojin waited until Jihoon nodded for him to slowly pull back out and press forward again. They moved slowly against each other, their breath mingling together as Jihoon got used to the feeling.

“You can go faster now,” Jihoon nodded as he wrapped a hand around Woojin’s neck. The other nodded and started to move at a pace just a bit faster than before. Jihoon squeezed his neck gently and bit down on his own lip. “That feels so good.”

“Fuck,” Woojin breathed against Jihoon’s neck and began to push further in. He pulled out again and pushed in slowly, leaving a kiss on Jihoon’s jawline as he did. He kept his pace going, angling his hips as he did so. Jihoon felt him hit the same spot as before and he let out a loud moan. “Right there?”

“Y-yes,” Jihoon nodded and he spread his legs a bit wider to allow Woojin better access. He picked up his pace, hitting the spot dead on. Jihoon went to grab his own cock to help himself along but Woojin had already beat him to the punch, moving his hand at a similar rhythm as his pace. Jihoon let out a string of moans, unable to contain himself much more. He knew he would cum soon, sensing a strong feeling in the pit of his stomach. “I’m g-gonna-”

“Go ahead,” Woojin assured softly as he kept his pace. It didn’t take much longer for Jihoon to cum all over his own stomach and Woojin followed suit, the feeling of Jihoon’s muscles clenching around his own dick, too hypersensitive to bear. They slowed and eventually Woojin had to prop himself up over Jihoon as they caught their breath. Woojin pulled out slowly and Jihoon’s face pinched up as he adjusted to the loss of something filling his asshole.

Woojin moved off the bed, his head spinning a bit as he grabbed a towel and made his way back to Jihoon. The other was still in the same position, fighting to keep his eyes open. He started to clean up Jihoon’s stomach lightly while placing soft kisses along his jawline and on his cheek.

“Are you okay?” Woojin asked and Jihoon laughed. “What?”

“I’m more than okay,” Jihoon kissed Woojin and leaned back against the pillows. “I have you.”

“Cheesy fuck,” Woojin joked, throwing the blanket back towards the bathroom. “Get some sleep.”

“What about you?” Jihoon hummed, reaching out for Woojin. Woojin let out a sigh and climbed under the covers, pulling them underneath Jihoon and back over him. 

“I’m not going anywhere,” he kissed his cheek again and wrapped an arm across Jihoon’s waist. The last thought across Jihoon’s mind before he drifted off to sleep was just how happy he was tangled next to a sweaty and beautiful being.

 

When Jihoon woke up the next morning to see his naked, beautiful boyfriend, he may have woken him up with his mouth around the other’s cock, too engrossed in the way that Woojin threaded his fingers through his messy bed head hair to care about what they were going to do that day.

-x-  
  


It took a total of three weeks for Woojin and Jihoon to save up the money for their own apartment. They saved some of the money from Daehwi to help out and used their total savings from work to finally secure a nice apartment just ten minutes away from Jihoon’s grandfather’s store.

The first time Jihoon’s grandfather met Woojin he was overly thrilled that Jihoon just  _ knew  _ somebody else in general. He wasn’t judgemental of their relationship status and even cooked Woojin’s favorite meals when he was over. 

It didn’t take long for Woojin to move in but it took Jihoon twice as long, shoving all of his own books and personal belongings in a corner, not bothering to look at it the first night they were there. Daehwi managed to stop by when they were finally all done moving, a couple of days after they finally got the keys to the place. He brought over Youngmin and Donghyun and a tall man named Jinyoung that he didn’t give many details over. There was a breath of anticipation as they waited to hear how the rest of their two week vacation went but the only thing they could say that wasn’t too much information for the younger pairing of the group was that they didn’t leave the hotel much and ordered  _ a lot  _ of delivery. 

They were happy, and for once, older than nineteen.

 

They lived for a long time that life. Every so often Jihoon would have his own panic attacks, mostly when he woke up and Woojin wasn’t in bed, or when he would come home and Woojin would be out shopping. He had to learn how to accept that this life was normal. Nobody was coming to get them. Nobody was trying to keep them apart this time. 

Their favorite past time was slowly becoming picking out documentaries and seeing if there past selves were in the old footage. They found themselves a couple of times but each documentary ended up being a long discussion about that lifetime.

Jihoon decided a long time ago that while the Prince lifetime used to be his favorite, it was this one that took the spot now. He was content, happy, and for once, safe. 

The thing was, it wasn’t even  _ over. _ He still had many lives, many many lives, to live with Woojin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i-i can't believe this is done.... like i don't think you understand how important this is. like i rarely finish fics so im proud of this and everything i've done
> 
> i really wanna thank noah, domi, and aiden for beta'ing all of this  
> i wanna thank titus for listening to me complain about all of my writer's block moments  
> i wanna thank everybody who contacted me on twitter and told me they liked my fic and left comments and kudos
> 
> like i can't even believe that this is done
> 
> im gonna make a couple like small stories (never as long as each of these chapters) if u have any questions about any of the semantics (?) of everything in the story, you can always ask me at my 

**Author's Note:**

> i’m bad at everything. unbeta’d sorry!!


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